Tim Russert, RIP

Tim Russert:

“The job of the host is to learn as much as you can about your guest’s positions and take the other side….And to do that in a persistent and civil way. And that’s what I try to do every Sunday.”

I thought he was the fairest interviewer on television. He didn’t browbeat, but he kept after his targets as they tried to wriggle from his questions. At the end of the ordeal he would smile to acknowledge their common humanity. No, it wasn’t a game; what they were doing was important, but it wasn’t all-important. I’ll miss him.