Tim Russert was honored this morning as Meet the Press, the NBC News show that he is most known for, opted out of reporting their usual weekly news round-up and decided instead to pay homage to the man who sat in the Meet the Press moderator’s chair for the past 16 years. This week, that moderator’s chair was left empty … and the rest of the show was devoted solely to his memory:

Tim Russert’s chair was empty on “Meet the Press” on Sunday, two days after his unexpected death. But Russert was very much present on the full-hour tribute to this giant of political journalism who hosted NBC’s public-affairs program for more than 16 years. “His voice has been stilled,” began 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 a bit later he choked up, recalling 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 … However fitting Sunday’s tribute, it was a cruel irony that Russert had become the big story, particularly in the midst of a like-no-other presidential race that he was covering with his customary gusto. Guests he had planned to grill Sunday were senior officials from both campaigns. All that changed with Russert’s death from a heart attack Friday. He was stricken while preparing for the broadcast at his network’s Washington bureau.

Today’s episode of Meet the Press was the most fitting tribute that they could’ve pulled together for Tim Russert, the man and the news reporter. It’s still so shocking that he has been taken from us so suddenly … just 2 days ago! Again I say, our country lost a giant in news media … he will surely be missed and can never be replaced.

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