R.I.P. Tim Russert

I have been a longtime admirer of Tim Russert and was saddened to hear that he died of a heart attack--at the young age of 58. Even though I get my daily doses of Chris Matthews and Keith Olberman, I always looked forward to Meet the Press on Sundays and especially his political coverage during the recent presidential primaries. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Big Russ and the rest of the family.

NBC's Tim Russert dies of apparent heart attack

Associated Press
June 13, 2008

Tim Russert, host of NBC's "Meet the Press" and its Washington bureau chief collapsed and died at work Friday after suffering an apparent heart attack. He was 58.

Longtime NBC anchor Tom Brokaw confirmed his death in a special report on NBC. Brokaw says Russert's death came during a political campaign that he loved.

So You Want to Be a Pundit?

The American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) held their annual Pollie Awards and Conference this past week in Santa Monica. Look for segment on The Daily Show the week after next with the very funny John Oliver. There are a few more AAPC conference clips to follow (Mark Mellman, Bill Carrick, etc.) but I thought you might enjoy these punditry pieces in the meantime. They're from the highly entertaining/informative "So You Want to Be a Pundit?" session and local pundits Bob Stern, Susan Estrich and Garry South are featured.

• Bob Stern - "The 10 Commandments of Punditry"
• Susan Estrich - "Hair Extensions, Breast Implants & 3 p.m. Availability"
• Garry South - "The Real Meaning of Punditry" Part 1
• Garry South - "The Real Meaning of Punditry" Part 2

(Full Disclosure: I did outreach for the event and serve on the AAPC Communications Committee.)

Enjoy future pundits ...