The Desk

Tim Russert, host of NBC’s “Meet The Press”, the golden boy of the political punditry and a lion of the National Working Press, collapsed and died. He was 58.

The venerable former NBC Nightly News anchor, Tom Brokaw, announced to the world Russert’s passing:

Russert had the nerve and the information to back him up to throw the tough questions at politicians. He is arguably the best political journalist in the country.

Embroiled in an historic presidential campaign, Russert put in long hours throughout the primary campaigns, but his analysis and commentary was spot-on, never mean or snarky, but direct and thorough.

And if anyone had the creditibility and the big kahunas to call the Democratic presidential race for Barack Obama-rama after the North Carolina and Indiana primaries, it was Russert:

And he wasn’t kidding. He called the 2000 presidential election, when the rest of the National Working Press was fumbling in the dark for answers, using a plain whiteboard. He pulled out the whiteboard again, explaining the delegate math to Jay Leno:

Born in Buffalo, grew up working-class and worked in New York politics before joining NBC in 1985. He loved his family, and wrote about growing up with his father “Big Russ.”

But most of all, Russert was a gentle giant in the media world. And we will miss him on “Meet The Press” on Sunday mornings and on elections nights.

R.I.P. chief …