Don’t know exactly when I learned about Tim, most likely the Bush-Gore 2000 election. But I do remember watching Tim at Meet the Press on Sunday mornings after that.
(source: CNET)
The thing I like about Tim Russert is: he always asks intelligent questions, provide objective information for the audience to consume, not personal views; and at the same time I am impressed by his polite manner and smile, many ordinary people think he is “one of our own”. And indeed his uproots is working class: his book Big Russ and me talked about his father.
(MSNBC Andrea Mitchell talked about Russert)
(CBS Face the Nation moderator Bob Schieffer talked about Russert, note FTN is direct competitor to MTP).
(NBC political director Chuck Todd talked about Russert)
Last but not least, my favorite story told by Russert himself: in 2000 Jack Welch, the CEO of GE, personally called him, reminding him exercise his GE stock options. I guess Russert is too busy on other things (work, care for others), and obviously he was one of the few guys forgott exercising stock options in GE.