Chapter 77.2: A Sense of Normalcy

It's official: Tom Brokaw will take over the hosting duties of Meet the Press, the most important Sunday morning news and public policy show in the United States. Of course, one of the main reasons why it had become so significant is because of the effort the late Tim Russert put into it.

In my post offering my thoughts on Russert's untimely death, I openly pondered whether Brokaw would host. While I didn't come straight out and say it in the blog, Brokaw was who I was hoping would take the job.

To me it makes the most sense. Brokaw is the first person I thought of as capable of doing the job well while maintaining the sense of decorum that it requires (automatically cutting Chris Matthews out) through at least the election. I for one will miss Russert on election night. Brokaw will offer a sense of normalcy to what I suspect will be yet another odd election. At least President Bush can't win this time.

Soldier on, Mr. Brokaw, and I wish you well. America is watching and looking for you to pick up that torch and carry it forward.

Chapter 76.9: Tim Russert -30-

No, that's not a typo. It's a journalistic symbol that denotes the end of a wire service story.

But Tim Russert, who died today at the all too young age of 58, was no wire service reporter, though if he had been one he would have excelled. Russert was perhaps the premier American TV journalist of his generation. How fitting, then, that Tom Brokaw, who will forever be associated with The Greatest Generation, shoud announce Russert's unexpected death. Indeed, how appropriate for Russert to die on a Friday afternoon, the slowest time in traditional news, when the Saturday edition has basically been put to bed and the editors are starting on their desk stash of scotch in the office before hitting the bar.

Russert wouldn't want to have become the story, but by the same token, he'd want the story out -- and accurate -- as soon as possible.

From what I've heard, Russert was passionate about politics and public policy. He was perfect for Meet the Press. I had hoped to meet him one day.

I can't help but wonder who will succeed him. I wonder if Brokaw might serve as the moderator for Meet the Press on Sunday, though he retired a few years ago. Whoever is the next host of that show will have much to aspire to.

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