Tim Russert (1950-2008): If It's Sunday . . .

Meet The Press began on the Mutual radio network just after World War II ended in 1945. It was co-founded by producer Martha Rountree and magazine editor Lawrence Spivak. The format was simple: Invite the people making news that week to face a panel of journalists (of which Spivak was a permanent member), then watch 'em squirm under relentless questioning.

The program moved to NBC television in 1947, and continues to this day. It is the longest-running network program of any kind in the history of the medium. Nearly every American political figure and world dignitary have been guests at one time or another.

Tim Russert took over as moderator of Meet The Press in 1991, a job he held in addition to being Washington bureau chief of NBC News. Through the years, he gained a reputation for being a tough, well-prepared interviewer. It was like listening to an old-time journalist with a law degree, bearing down on his witness in a courtroom to get at the truth. However, since Russert used to work for Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Governor Mario Cuomo (both Democrats), he was accused of softening the blows if he wanted return visits by the heavy-hitters.

As a fixture on NBC's political coverage, Russert was decidedly low-tech. While others were using touch screens to tell us which candidate was outpolling the other, Russert used a whiteboard to make his calculations. He could also be blunt in his observations, declaring Senator Barack Obama as the Democratic presidential nominee weeks before Senator Hillary Clinton made it official.

On Sunday's broadcast of Meet The Press, the moderator's chair was left empty in honor of the man who had hosted the program longer than anyone else. Tim Russert died suddenly on Friday of a heart attack in his office. He was 58.

In a most unfortunate bit of circumstance, Russert's passing happened to occur during a presidential campaign, where he was in his element. In the past few days, we learned that Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, held one of his town hall meetings in front of a friendly audience, and was televised exclusively by Fox News. And the Obama campaign had started a website to counter what they believe were rumors and lies being spread about the presumptive Democratic nominee and his wife.

In terms of what he meant to journalism and to political discourse in this country, Tim Russert didn't just leave a hole. He left a crater.