Brokaw's Meet the Press Tribute was Moving

The Tribute to Tim Russert on Meet the Press yesterday was moving. From the moment the camera showed Tim's empty chair, I was emotional. It hit hard. The Chair that he had filled for 17 years sat empty. The set was dark. Tom Brokaw's warm but emotionally tinged voice opened the broadcast...along with that empty chair.

After watching Tim's broadcast every Sunday I felt like I had lost a best friend. That empty chair only solidified the feeling that there was and would be a void in my life...in millions of lives. Seeing panelists James Carville and Mary Matalin holding hands and weeping together only made the void seem larger. Brokaw and his guests helped me understand exactly why I felt I would miss Russert so much. They painted a picture of a tough interviewer who loved politics and politicians. They also painted a picture of a man who thoroughly loved his father, son, and wife, who loved his Buffalo sports teams, and loved his friends (and their sports teams).

Brokaw tried bravely to set the tone early by saying "Tim has a very large wooden sign in his office and it's going to be our mantra for this morning. It says 'Thou Shall Not Whine.' And if I can add, I think, anything to that, 'Thou shall not weep or cry this morning." Brokaw lived up to this mantra for most of the show, but even he could not suppress his emotion - becoming visibly shaken for a moment during which Mike Barnicle (the only panelist able to hold it completely together) kindly spoke up - diverting the camera's attention. Betsy Fischer (the show's executive producer), Doris Kearns Goodwin, Gwen Ifill, and , by satellite, Maria Shriver also joined Mr. Brokaw in remembrance of Russert.