I don't have a lot to say, except that we were chilled here in the office to learn that the 58-year old Tim Russert passed away so suddenly today. We haven't always been fans of his searching-for-controversy debate moderation style, or his obsessive emphasis on "entitlement reforms" such as raising the Social Security income cap. But I can say that flying to Des Moines to cover the Iowa caucuses last December, I was on Russert's plane, and he was a real gentleman. After we landed, he was surrounded in the airport by well-wishers, whom he treated with interest and respect, even autographing a few copies of one of his books that he had handy. Russert was a journalistic icon in the old-fashioned sense, someone whose mere presence on the television screen reassured viewers. And that will be missed. --Dana Goldstein
