Pressing Thought

I never met him. I didn't know him or his family. I was almost always at church when "Meet the Press" was on. Yet, when I heard the news of Tim Russert's death on Friday, it felt shocking. Almost personal. Why? Is it just the "celebrity" syndrome? I think it may have been slightly more pronounced because I had heard Tim Russert on the radio on the way in to the office that morning. He was giving political analysis and talking about the guests who were scheduled to be on "Meet the Press." It is odd to realize that just a few hours later he would be dead.