I bet he didn't have any idea how much people around the world respected, enjoyed and looked up to him. Thousands of people have gathered in Washington, DC to pay their respects to the passionate NBC News Washington Bureau Chief and moderator of [url http://www.jumptheshark.com/topic/Meet-Press/Meet-Press-General-Comments/1298]Meet the Press[/url], who made Sunday morning TV and white board election coverage a staple in many a household. You'd have thought a senator or even a president had passed by looking at the crowds. Russert probably would have had the perfect anecdote, ending with a big laugh and a bright smile if he was covering the passing of one of his colleagues. His colleagues are trying to keep it light, but you can see how hard Tim Russert's loss is affecting his NBC family.

I can't pretend that I watched Meet the Press every weekend, but when I did, I was always struck by Russert's passion for politics and his radar for bullsh*t. I did watch him as a frequent guest on [url http://www.jumptheshark.com/topic/Today/Today-General-Comments/2003]Today[/url], [url http://www.jumptheshark.com/topic/Nbc-Nightly-News/Nbc-Nightly-News-General-Comments/1413]NBC Nightly News[/url] and of course, his election coverage. Like most personalities on TV, I took for granted that he would always be around to steer me in the right direction come election time — not because he was biased, but because he was so well informed, easy to understand and on the money. I think often about how he would have loved to see the outcome of this historical election, but I think he probably already knew who would win.

One thing is for sure, this man lived life to the fullest: He met the Pope, had a family who clearly adored him, covered some of the most thrilling political events in history, and earned the respect of everyone in the shadiest city in the world. He left behind an amazing legacy and it will be near impossible for anyone to fill his Meet the Press shoes.

I'm always shocked and saddened when someone passes before their time, but there is a distance between the event and me because I didn't know them personally. I didn't know Tim Russert, but like many people standing in line to pay respects at his wake, I kinda felt like I did. And, I'll miss him. Weird, yes, but that just proves how awesome he was at his job.

Coverage of his public memorial will be at 4 pm/ET on MSNBC.