America lost a great one this afternoon, Tim Russert, longtime NBC newsman. Lots of people are bringing up their favorite Russert memory--here is mine.The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield has a video portrayal of the four-way 1860 presidential election. Republican Abraham Lincoln had three opponents, two of them Democrats, Stephen A. Douglas and John C. Breckinridge, as well as Constitutional Union candidate John Bell. Russert, in about three minutes, nicely summed up the monumental election--and concluded with the statement, "What a mess."
It was. Civil War broke out five months after Election Day, and Breckinridge served as a Confederate general in the conflict.
Purists, unfairly in my opinion, derided the Russert presentation.
The sudden death of Russert creates a void that probably won't be filled. Network television continues to become fluffier (Katie Couric) and today's tragedy reminds me of the 1977 retirement of Eric Severied. He left, someone may have taken his job, but he was not replaced.
It will be the same with Russert.
Rest in peace.
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OMG this is my favorite memory too! This is a few days after he died, and I decided to try to look up again on youtube if I could find this video. No luck. Then I was just searching on google and ran into this post, surprised that this was written the day he died. I still can't believe he's gone. Do you think that video thing is still at the museum?
ReplyDeleteI can find out. My guess is they'll take it down.
ReplyDelete