An election without Russert

By Libby

The Caucus remarks on the uniqueness of this election. There surely are a lot historic aspects. First black man running. Oldest white guy to take office if McCain somehow wins and they note McCain's unusual coziness with the press, which I think is wearing off a little. Since it came under scrutiny after the famous barbecue, both sides have made an effort to appear a little less friendly and to their credit, the press coverage has become a little more critical, although not tough enough yet by my standards. Still it's an improvement.
And of course, the untimely death of Tim Russert is still on everyone's mind.

“An election without Russert,” concluded Mark McKinnon, a past media adviser to Mr. Bush and Mr. McCain, “will be like Oz without the Wizard.”

I'm probably among a mere handful of people who isn't missing Russert. I rarely watched him. I don't believe I've seen an entire Meet the Press in years. I didn't particularly like his style and tended to click out when he was talking during campaign coverage. I don't miss him because he was never a big part of my media experience.

It's not that I don't empathize with those who loved him and the painful loss they're suffering, but it feels a little odd not to be able to share in the grief.