Work Hard, Laugh Often and Keep Your Honor

As I look back at my 3 years in US and the final two weeks that lie ahead, one fixture has been how much I have learnt from watching television especially cable news. I know that everyone loves to bash 24 hour news channels but I have my favorites. Tom Brokaw, Larry King, Anderson Cooper, Chris Mathews, Joe Scarborough....but the biggest of them all was Tim Russert....and it is so sad to write was and not is!!

When the news was developing in the afternoon about the sudden death of Tim Russert, Washington Bureau Chief of NBC News, the shock slowly transformed into some kind of a disbelief and then memories. Tim came across as someone who had a lot of passion for his job and it was obvious that it rubbed on the people around him. And the guy earned his reputation over the years doing a fine job every Sunday on Meet The Press. I have seen some of his interviews on Daily Show and Colbert Report too and you know that he loved talking, he loved explaining his world view and he loved to remain objective.

I will miss you Tim as the finest journalist I have seen on television and remember this line you wrote in a letter to your son, Luke, at Boston College:
"Work Hard, Laugh Often and Keep Your Honor"