In the summer of 2008 we lost Tim Russert. Mr. Russert was the best interviewer I'd ever seen. He made "Meet the Press" appointment television for me at a very young age. Even when I was too young to know all the subject matter, and the nuance of each political discussion, I always felt like Mr. Russert would ask the tough questions and he'd ask them in a way that would make the truth more clear to me.
I remember him being so fare. I could never tell what political side he fell on. He was an equal opportunity "griller". No one was safe. He was persistent. If a subject tried to dodge a question he'd ask it again, his second questions always better than the first, and his third was more brilliant than the second. He was masterful. You had to shoot straight with him because, if you didn't, he'd disrobe you right there on national television for the world to see. I always felt smarter after watching Meet the Press, and I attributed that to him.
In late 2008 David Gregory name moderator of Meet the Press. I continued to watch because it's by far the best Sunday morning political show, but I always felt like something was missing. There was a huge hole, and I didn't know if Mr. Gregory would ever be able to fill it.
Fast forward to Sunday August 22, 2010. I sat down in front of the TV to continue my lifelong ritual. "If it's Sunday Morning it's Meet the Press"
The topic of the day was the "New York City Mosque @ Ground Zero". Not a very easy topic to navigate. The passions of 9/11 run so high, and this debate gets ramped up with the turning of every news cycle. The guest and panel of pundits were superb. They made superior arguments pro and con, and Mr. Gregory commanded the debate. He was there and not there all in the same space. It was a beautiful thing to watch.
I got through the entire show and hadn't once thought about Mr. Russert. What would "little" Russ have asked? How would he have handled the guest? The moment was so bitter-sweet for me. Mr. Russert, RIP.
In my eyes, at that moment, Mr Gregory had arrived. He like his predecessor before him was masterful. The true winner at a good debate is always the on-looker. I felt like a winner on Sunday.
