Like the Loss of a Friend

Russert's death is like the loss of a friend.
His was such a disarming style that watchers felt like they were in the presence of a friend as you watched him on "Meet the Press."
"He had great clarity of vision," Tom Brokaw said in his broadcast.
He got to law school on sort of a fluke; from a working class family, someone saw his potential and loaned him the money.
Russert paid it back.
He always has reminded me a lot of myself. He worked so hard to get where he was and was so grateful every day for where he was in his life. He was so passionate but never, ever forgot where he came from, the strides that he made. His family was the core of this world, and no matter what, no matter how involved he was, he would drop anything when it came to his family.
His father still is alive and his wife Maureen and son Luke are on their way home from Italy, where Russert was with them earlier this week. They were celebrating Luke's graduation from Boston College.