Tim Russert died today at 58 years old

While siting here answering emails and replying to blog comments with the TV on, ABC broke in with a special report - Charles Gibson announced that Tim Russert, host of "Meet the Press," had just died - at work. He was 58 years old. Maybe because I'm 52, maybe because, after the death of my mother, I've come to understand the absolute fragility of this existence we call life - I get that Tim Russert, in his own truth and reality, "danced like nobody was watching," a credo to which I vigorously and wholeheartedly subscribe. I want, and intend, to go out doing exactly what it is I love - whatever that is at the time. Tim Russert's death, doing what he loved best - is something to which I aspire. No matter what you thought of him, one must respect his rabid dedication to what he thought was the right thing to do - for him.

The Ohio Debate - Men Still Behaving Badly

Watching the Democratic debate in Ohio, I could not help but think, "Here we go again, yet another exercise in men behaving badly." I don't know why, but I expected better of Brian Williams. Tim Russert, not so much - though he did surprise me in appearing to break up the media "love fest" by asking Sen. Obama a couple pointed questions - never mind the answers were predictable. What was with all the video clips of Sen. Clinton? Could they at least have shown an equal amount of Sen. Obama? They seemed to intentionally present them to evoke an image of a woman too "temperamental," rather than one who'd reacted honestly to some political machinations by the Obama campaign. While the moderators gave Sen. Obama more than ample time to eloquently dodge the Minister Farrakhan question until Sen. Clinton momentarily backed him into a corner (with a wink and a nod, he finally "rejected" the minister's endorsement, reassuring the Jewish community he was no under-cover anti-Semite), they repeatedly cut Sen. Clinton off time and time again, particularly during her health care explanations on which she is head-and-shoulders above the senator from Illinois. Luckily for Sen. Obama, there are far less people concerned with appearing sexist in this country than appearing racist.