It's 3:00 a.
m.
but I can't sleep.
My wife can't either.
She is out in the kitchen.
I ate too much at a Fathers and Sons outing last night, so I was thinking instead of sleeping.
I decided that I had something I had to do-and this is it.
My wife and I don't watch television between The Price is Right (which my wife and I call, Come On Down) which ends at 10.
00 a.
m.
and Jeopardy, which in our part of Idaho comes on at 5:00 p.
m.
But I did turn the television on for a few minutes yesterday afternoon, perhaps to pickup a few news headlines.
I quickly learned that Tim Russert was dead.
A flood of emotions came over me.
One said this: Who will speak for us now? I turned to his network and listened to Tom Brokaw's Report on the Death of Tim Russert.
We don't see much of Tom anymore other than chatting with Leno or Letterman, pushing his latest book.
He has left us to pursue other things in life rather than give the us the nightly news.
He is retired from that part of his life.
Yes, we trust Tom Brokaw , but he is no longer a daily influence in our lives.
Tom gave a good summary of Tim's life and expressed his condolences to his father, wife and son.
A statement by President and Laura Bush soon arrived.
They said: Laura and I are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Tim Russert.
Those of us who knew and worked with Tim, his many friends, and the millions of Americans who loyally followed his career on the air will all miss him.
As the longest-serving host of the longest-running program in the history of television, he was an institution in both news and politics for more than two decades.
Tim was a tough and hardworking newsman.
He was always well-informed and thorough in his interviews.
And he was as gregarious off the set as he was prepared on it.
Most important, Tim was a proud son and father, and Laura and I offer our deepest sympathies to his wife Maureen, his son Luke, and the entire Russert family.
We will keep them in our prayers.
I thought that the President and Laura has said it better than the other platitudes that came rolling in from the politicians.
John Edwards said that Tim Russert would have made a good courtroom attorney, which I'm sure is true.
Last evening, Larry King let the country pay tribute on his show by telephone.
The country is in mourning.
Yes, who will speak for us now? Tim Russert was not a skipping stone thrown across the waters by a boy.
No, he was a three-pronged fishing spear who pierced the heart of a story with precision, insight, and compassion.
He made me laugh and he made me cry.
I loved it when he "cut the jacket" off a politician who had neither a sense of propriety or duty.
Yes, some news reporters dig into a story but they neither have the time or patience to pursue it to a reasonable conclusion.
Balancing time with integrity, Tim Russert did just that I always thought of Tim as a brother the Good Lord had blessed me with.
No, I didn't know him personally.
I just felt that I did.
I think many Americans felt that way about the man-an intense compassionate brother who would protect us from insolence and hypocrisy at any cost.
Tom Russert was a hard-working reporter who may have worked himself to death.
We thank you, Tim, for your many gifts.
Rest in Peace, Tim Russert.
Rest in Peace.
The End