June 13 2008
A Special
Tribute
A Man For All Seasons, Political Or
Otherwise.
Vol. 3 Issue 12
Broadway is dark on Monday nights. This
Sunday, Meet the Press may be dark for what,
I believe, may
be the first time in a long time.
I was at home in my office preparing for
my next radio show when from my wife's
office, I heard her yell,
"Oh my God, Tim Russert died."
Not believing that I heard her correctly,
I ran to her office where Charlie Gibson of
ABC News had just
interrupted the TV show she was watching. It
was at that moment we heard the unforgiving
and
remorseful news for the first time. Like
most of us who knew him, we sat there
stunned.
Tim Russert, at age 58 was the beloved
moderator of the most stable and reliable
institutions on
television, Meet the Press. I refer to it as
an institution because that is what it is.
It began on the radio's Mutual
Broadcasting System in 1945 as American
Mercury Presents: Meet the
Press. Lawrence Spivak, its creator,
produced the show. There have been eight
moderators since its
beginning. However, Russert had the longest
run from 1991 to last week.
Being interviewed on Meet the Press, with
Tim Russert as moderator, was considered the
pinnacle of a
politician's career. However, you had better
come prepared. He probably knew more about
you than your
mother. As tough as he was, is how fair he
was. There were politicians that almost
feared going on his
show; they knew if they were not truly
prepared, it could break their career. He
was Washington's political
watchdog.
My personal memory of Tim goes back three
years ago when I published my first book.
His book," Big
Russ And Me," was released while my book
"Success By Default," was in its galley
review stage.
I called Tim at home and spoke to his
wife Maureen, I told her I wanted to send
him a copy of my
manuscript in the hopes that he would write
the forward. She suggested I send it to his
office and told
me how to address it so it would find its
way onto his desk. I did not have much hope
that I would hear
from him or that he would even consider
writing the forward.
I continued my daily routine not giving
it much thought.
One morning about four-weeks later, I
answered the telephone. The voice on the
other end asked, "Is this
Michael Solomon?"
"Yes it is. Who's calling?" I did not
have to ask. It was not hard to recognize
the voice.
"This is Tim Russert."
Unfortunately, I cannot remember the
exact dialogue we had, but I do remember
what he said to me. He
thanked me for the galley, but said that
writing the forward could be considered an
endorsement and
NBC frowns upon endorsements.
I told him I understood his position, how
much I enjoyed reading his book and how much
of a fan of his I
was. I remember telling him, I know if my
dad were still with us sitting with Big Russ
having a beer, they
would be preaching to the choir about
raising children and about life. I thought
you might enjoy reading
it, I said.
He chuckled and expressed his regret once
again that he could not review my book. I
told him when it is
in print I would send him an autographed
copy. We wished each other good luck and
said our good-
byes.
He could have sent me an email or his
secretary could have dropped me a note. Most
people in his
position would have probably just let it
pass because they receive hundreds of books
and gifts each
week. However, he did it personally. I will
probably never forget that phone call. It
lasted no more than a
minute. He is the kind of person my
grandmother would call, "A real mensch."
Tim you undeniably will be missed. I know
my Sunday mornings will never be the same.
May God bless and watch over Maureen,
Luke, Big Russ and your entire family who we
all know meant
the world to you.
However, Tim I do know this, you may have
run out of seasons, but somewhere in heaven,
you are
preparing to conduct the ultimate interview.
Michael Solomon
If you want to
help restore sanity to America, join the
Flag Day campaign.
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