Something mildly icky about this

Barack Obama's statement about Tim Russert's passing:

“We all I think have heard the news about Tim Russert. I’ve known Tim Russert since I first spoke at the convention in 2004. He’s somebody who over time I came to consider  not only a journalist but a friend.  There wasn’t a better interviewer in TV, not a more thoughtful analyst of our politics and he was also one of the finest men I knew. Somebody who cared about America, cared about the issues, cared about family.  I am grief-stricken with the loss and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family. And I hope  that even though Tim is irreplaceable that the standard that he set in his professional life and his family life are standards that we all carry with us in our own lives.”

Let's work through this odd statement, shall we?

I’ve known Tim Russert since I first spoke at the convention in 2004.

Almost four years.  OK.

He’s somebody who, over time, I came to consider  not only a journalist but a friend.

Over time, everyone considered Tim Russert a journalist but for most people the amount of time was a millisecond because Tim Russert was a journalist, and rather a famous one at that.

There wasn’t a better interviewer in TV, not a more thoughtful analyst of our politics and he was also one of the finest men I knew. 

We're dancing on the edge of over-the-top for someone whose only known Mr. Russert, and only professionally, and only intermittantly, for less than four years.   And any way, is Tim Russert the man Barack Obama knew?  We'll never know.

I am grief-stricken with the loss and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family. 

We've thrown ourselves off the edge and done a reverse double somersault tuck straight into the deep end of the maudlin pool.

And I hope  that even though Tim is irreplaceable that the standard that he set in his professional life and his family life are standards that we all carry with us in our own lives.

This is just inane.  If the press actually read what Barry says, he'd lose the "eloquent" adjective right  quick.

This is John McCain's statement:

“I would like to just make a brief statement concerning the shocking news about the untimely death of a great journalist and a great American, Tim Russert.

Tim Russert was at the top of his profession. He was a man of honesty and integrity. He was hard but he was always fair. We miss him. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and we know that Tim Russert leaves a legacy of integrity of the highest level of journalism and we will miss him and we will miss him a lot.

Again, he was hard, he was fair, he was at the top of his profession. He loved his country, he loved the Buffalo Bills and most of all he loved his family.”

Huh.  Not  a word about being big pals with Tim.  Nothing obsequious.  No rending of garments or sitting in ashes.  Just a dignified tribute to the man himself and an expression of sympathy.  I guess John McCain didn't really know Tim Russert, though.  Yeah, that must be it.

Comments

[straight talker]

Hmmm. Whatever set of words it takes to be part of the day's headline, that's the ticket!

Authenticity just becomes another casualty. Again.

[Rachel]

Obama is a complete dolt without his telepromter. On Sat. on a special Today show he said this, "The last time I interviewed Tim....."

And they call McCain confused.

I see that I am not the only one who gets annoyed with people like Obama who always bring up -me- this and -I- that, when someone dies.

[aelfheld]

I'm confused.

Is Obama the second coming of Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton?

[Michael Adams]

Maybe it's a tangent, but every time I hear about Barry O'Bama, someone is talking about his great ideas. I knew dozens of guys like him, in college, and after. I live in Austin, after all. Of course I know a lot of Barry O's. His ability is to make really stupid ideas sound fresh and new, not tried and tired. I can only hope that his "new ideas" get enough exposure to make a sufficient number of people run screaming away.

[David M]

Off topic: But I'm tagging you!
http://thunderrun.blogspot.com/2008/06/well-read-cassandra-has-tagged-me-of.html

[Tom the Redhunter]

aelfheld; he'll be Carter part II; his economic proposals will destroy the economy, and our foreign policy will be neutered. But in the end I don't think he'll get much of his agenda enacted. Byron York's excellent reporting on his days as a "community organizer" in Chicago revealed that Obama was all smoke and no fire. Lots of "inspiration" but precious little to show for it. If elected president it'll be the same way. Lots of motion but little action. He'll also spend a lot of time blaming others for his problems. It's going to be a long four years if he gets elected.