That Bush has demonstrated a callous disregard for the Constitution in carrying out its war on terror is bad enough. That McCain is marching in lockstep with him is disgraceful and unbecoming of a United States senator who claims to desire to do things differently from Bush.
# # #
REMEMBERING TIM RUSSERT -- A JOURNALIST OF THE OLD SCHOOL
That signature sign-off line by Tim Russert, the Washington bureau chief of NBC News and longest-serving host (17 years) of television's longest-running program (61 years and counting) will never be heard live again. The booming voice that uttered that now-familiar line has suddenly -- very suddenly -- fallen silent forever.
Russert's chair was empty on "Meet the Press" on this Father's Day Sunday, two days after he collapsed and died of a heart attack while preparing for the broadcast.
The suddeness of Russert's death was shocking in and of itself. That he died at the age of 58 -- which in this day and age of the average American's life expectancy now in the upper 70s is considered still relatively young -- stunned even the most jaded among us.
Yet Russert's presence was very much felt on the hour-long, emotional tribute to this giant of political journalism who hosted NBC's public-affairs program longer than anyone else in its six-decade-long history.
"His voice has been stilled," began retired "NBC Nightly News" anchor Tom Brokaw, who led the conversation, "and our issue this sad Sunday morning is remembering and honoring our colleague and our friend ...."
Brokaw and a half-dozen others were seated in front of the "Meet the Press" set and its angular table, left vacant, where Russert had presided as recently as last week.
Brokaw noted that Russert had a large wooden sign in his office that read: "Thou Shalt Not Whine," which Brokaw then supplemented with "Thou shalt not weep or cry this morning. This is a celebration."
But Brokaw -- who struggled to keep his composure as he broke the news of Russert's death on Friday -- became emotional again on Sunday as he recalled Russert's words of awe at how far a working-class kid from Buffalo like himself could rise: "What a country!" he would marvel.
Among those gathered were presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and political pundit Mary Matalin, with Maria Shriver - the former NBC News correspondent and currently California's first lady - on a remote hookup.
All agreed that Russert was tough but fair in his interviewing, and that he, as a former political operative himself, loved politics and politicians. What he didn't like, said consultant-pundit James Carville, was an elected official or anybody else who wasn't prepared to face him. "The biggest insult to him was someone who came on and ... didn't take the show seriously," Carville said.
It was a mistake they quickly regretted, because Russert took his stewardship of "Meet the Press" as a sacred trust -- and, in the process, became the most highly respected newsperson on television since Walter Cronkite, not only with his colleagues in the media, but also with the viewers.
