For all the endless tributes to Russert this week, the actual mechanics of Russert's ambition remain shrouded in platitudes. He was a hard worker. He loved politics. He stayed true to his homespun, working-class roots. But the same could all be said of CBS' Bob Schieffer, a talented broadcaster who took over Face the Nation, in 1991, but who never managed to pull off for CBS what Russert did for NBC. So what did Russert do? Full Story »
Posted by Kaizar Campwala
This account of Tim Russert's rise to news media stardom attributes his success to luring or cajoling political figures into appearing with him at the apex of the public's curiosity about them, then asked sensationalist questions. The author focuses on his use of political savvy, but fails to document his lack of refined journalistic skills. With high profile guests such as Messrs. Bush and Cheney he missed opportunities to follow a disciplined questioning strategy, but rather would let their answers stand as truth, and move to the next topic. That was a serious failing in the march to the assault on Iraq .
