[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12921]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING TIM RUSSERT

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, it is with great sadness that I rise today 
to remember Tim Russert--a remarkable individual, a journalist, a 
former staff member in this body, a dedicated husband, and above all 
else, a father. And I would like to add my voice to the chorus of those 
who have sung his praises these sad past several days.
  Tim Russert was a force in American politics--and a force for 
integrity in our media. For 17 years, millions of Americans have looked 
to Tim on Sunday mornings for his insight into our political process. 
From his days serving as an aide to our former colleague from New York, 
Senator Moynihan, through every minute of his remarkable tenure at NBC, 
Tim never lost his enthusiasm for vibrant but respectful political 
discourse. It was in so many ways his lifeblood.
  Like few others, Tim understood the role politics played not just in 
the media--but in our daily lives. He saw politics for what it was--not 
a fight among partisans, but rather the medium in which the diversity 
of views and values in our society are arbitrated to a national 
conclusion.
  In that sense, under Tim's stewardship, ``Meet the Press'' became the 
premier forum for showcasing the fundamentally decent side of politics 
that is almost entirely lost today--where people of very different 
views, backgrounds and perspectives, could come together to debate 
their differences respectfully and constructively.
  Indeed, one saw that in Tim's approach to matters of faith--where his 
own views and values were very formidable indeed. A year ago, Senator 
Brownback and I shared the stage with Tim at Boston College, where we 
each talked about our shared Catholic faith and the role the Church 
played in our lives, shaping our politics and our society. With all the 
controversy around faith in politics over the last several years, some 
wondered about the fireworks that could have ensued.
  But what Tim, a practicing Catholic, wanted was not two Senators 
delivering sermons, if you will--about how to ``use'' faith as a 
political weapon. Rather, as someone who once said that the nuns in 
Catholic school, ``taught me to read and write, but also how to tell 
right from wrong,'' Tim wanted us to talk about our formative 
experiences as Catholics. He wanted to engage us in a robust 
conversation about all that we shared--even in areas we vigorously 
disagreed with one another.
  To be sure, in that sense, Tim was very much doing God's work each 
and every Sunday morning.
  I was a guest on ``Meet the Press'' many, many times over Tim's years 
hosting the program. He was without question the most tenacious 
questioner I have ever known. Never once did I feel like Tim let me off 
easy. Never once did I feel he was being unfair or trying to score 
points. Every time I was on, most recently just a few weeks ago, he 
pressed me, pushed me, poked and prodded me as he did thousands of 
guests.
  We were all the same in his eyes--no matter how many years we had 
been in public life, no matter how accomplished we were. He simply 
wanted to get at the truth--and if you didn't give it to him, Tim made 
sure that the whole world would know.
  Certainly, there are many guests over the years who ``bombed'' on 
``Meet the Press.'' One of the things I loved about Tim was that while 
he might let you embarrass yourself on national television, he would 
never embarrass you.
  Part of that was his fundamental decency--but so, too, was it the 
special appreciation Tim had for his guests, having been on the other 
side himself, walking these very halls on behalf of our departed 
colleague from New York. Tim understood as well as anyone what those of 
us in public life did for a living--and I wish more in his profession 
were afforded his perspective.
  Of course, Tim appreciated nothing more than family. Every time I saw 
Tim, he always wanted to know how your family was doing. Indeed, for 
all of his famously aggressive journalistic acumen, it is impossible to 
not mention the other side of that gregarious personality--the warmth 
and generosity. When I was on ``Meet the Press'' last year, Tim took 
the time after our interview to jump around and dance with my two young 
daughters. The twinkle in his eye was unmistakable when you talked 
family with Tim.
  Lastly, I want to say a word about one of Tim's greatest legacies, 
and that is fatherhood--his contributions to what being a father means 
in America. His call to our responsibilities as fathers and the 
difference an active, involved, caring father can make in a child's 
life will be one of Tim's most significant legacies.
  My colleagues know I have spoken many times on this floor about what 
my father meant to me--how more than anything or anyone else, it was my 
father's example that compelled me into public service.
  Tim and I shared that bond, I think. Indeed, we both wrote books 
about our fathers--I having published long lost letters from my father 
as a prosecutor in the Nuremberg Trials, Tim writing two books, 
including one about the lessons he learned from his father, ``Big 
Russ'' in Buffalo.
  At a time when some debate the condition of the American family, 
Tim's meditations on fatherhood--on the wisdom and character passed 
down by his father--struck a deep, resonant chord.
  It was one of the saddest ironies of all that his next broadcast 
would have been on Father's Day. But perhaps it was meant to be that 
way--remembering Tim on a day in which we were all celebrating our 
fathers.
  Jackie and I send our deepest sympathies to Maureen, Luke, Big Russ, 
and the rest of the Russert family. Our thoughts and prayers are with 
them--Tim will be dearly missed.

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