Newspeople, Newsmakers React to Russert's Death

| Print Post This | Like (0) | Comments (0)

THE MEDIA COMMUNITY in Washington lost a titan today with the death of Tim Russert, the larger-than-life host of NBC's "Meet the Press" and one of the premiere political analysts of our time.

» "Russert was, without question, the single most influential political journalist working in Washington," wrote The Post's Chris Cillizza on his blog The Fix. "His show -- known to insiders as simply "MTP" -- was not only the most watched of the Sunday news programs but also the one that every politician and journalist aspired to appear on."

» From The Post's The Trail blog, we get reactions from the presidential candidates. Said Sen. John McCain in a statement, "He was truly a great American who loved his family, his friends, his Buffalo Bills, and everything about politics and America. He was just a terrific guy. I was proud to call him a friend, and in the coming days, we will pay tribute to a life whose contributions to us all will long endure."

Sen. Barack Obama reacted this way: "I considered him not only a journalist but a friend," Obama said. "There wasn't a better interviewer on television, a more thoughtful analysts about politics."

Get more reaction from local media blog Fishbowl DC and an upcoming live discussion on washingtonpost.com with The Post's Sally Quinn, who was a close friend of Russert's.