Watching "Meet the Press" this week on the life of Tim Russert, I was struck by how Russert's colleagues thought his basic decency was a subject for high praise. In particular they appear wildly impressed that he knew the definition of the English word "friend". Here are two examples (of several possible).
Mary Matalin: He never, and that's not always across the board in this town [Washington], he never left anybody. He stood up for his friends, and it wasn't just that we just loved him, he loved his friends and took care of them. And unlike most of this town, which is transactional, you weren't just his friend when you were in. If you were out of office, he still called you, and he still was...he was just loved because he was such a lover of people and his friends.
Mike Barnicle: He had that reservoir of loyalty that so few people have, and I would think especially in this city, where I don't live, but I've always likened it to what I call "elevator loyalty", that you and I are going from the sixth floor to the first floor, and I'm your friend, I'm very loyal, we get out, you go that way, I go that way, and I'm killing you half a block away. Tim was loyal. He was loyal. You were his friend -- he admired you or he liked you or whatever -- he would remain loyal to you, through thick and thin.
The above examples can be seen starting 6:15 into this clip:
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