The best way I could put my feelings about Tim Russert is this:

First, he is the only one of his kind where it was very hard to tell what his political leanings were.

Second, he was the only one left that I could regularly listen to and not want to drill a hole in my head.

Third, from every available source, he personified a man who was a TRUE journalist, and a REAL family man.

He will be truly, sorely missed.

Tim Russert…1950-2008.

This post by Amarji (disclaimer: some rather harsh language) sums up my feelings on the Diane Sawyer interview.

Why in the name of all that is holy must we kiss the ass of leaders of regimes that are obviously our enemy, but if we sit down with John McCain or Karl Rove we feel the need to grill them.

It boggles the mind to watch our most high-profile journalists act so deferential to the likes of Castro, Saddam Hussein, and Ahmadinejad, and now al-Assad. I personally don’t care what is on this guy’s IPod, but do care why he’s continues to support terrorism against Iraqis and Americans. At least ask the questions, Diane. It’s not too much of us to expect you to at least ask the tough questions…is it?

Addendum: And if you look at the transcript it is exasperating to listen to Diane Sawyer always talk about “the Americans” in the third person. Never would she lump herself into that rabble. Is she Canadian?