Tim Russert...

I have been contemplating Tim Russert's death for a few weeks now, and it seems to me that his loss affects two groups more than any others- those who were ready to be great fathers, and those who were ready to be great sons.

I was saddened by some of the petty jealousies that reared their ugly heads, as we lost one of the greatest political journalists of our time. But the loss of a political scientist pales when compared to the loss of the father we all wished we could have been, or that we could have had.

One of the tragedies of life is that so often we have one or the other, but not both, in the same generation of the same family. Rare indeed is the real-life version of Sally Field and Julia Roberts in Steel Magnolias, but that's exactly what Tim and Luke Russert were. Life gets no better than a father who wants to be the best he can be who has a son who feels likewise.

I will remember forever the pictures of Luke walking around the set his dad ruled for so long- from my viewpoint as the son who wanted that kind of father, and also as the imperfect father who did better, but not as good as I, or Tim, would have liked.