Tim Russert has died

I think Joel Achenbach's tribute sums it up best.

An excerpt:

He was also a fun guy to run into at a party or out on the campaign trail -- friendly, generous, down-to-Earth. He was never the type to look over your shoulder to see if someone more important was coming along...

And we'll all have, forever, the memory of Russert and his little white board on election night 2000 as he documented the unfolding narrative of a race too close to call.

It's true.  I will be surprised if I ever forget that night or that whiteboard. It let us make some sense of the insanity. My sympathies to his friends and family.

Addendum: Matt Yglesias does a respectful rundown of Russert's journalistic legacy, both good and bad.