Tim Russert, NBC News' Washington bureau chief and the moderator of Meet the Press, died of an apparent heart attack earlier today while recording voiceovers for his Sunday broadcast. Russert had recently returned from Italy, where his family was celebrating the graduation of son Luke from Boston College. He was only 58.

Needless to say, this is a sad day in the world of media and politics. In a statement released at 4:25 this afternoon, Republican presidential nominee John McCain called Russert the "preeminent political journalist of his generation." Few would disagree. "He was truly a great American who loved his family, his friends, his Buffalo Bills, and everything about politics and America," said McCain. "He was just a terrific guy. I was proud to call him a friend, and in the coming days, we will pay tribute to a life whose contributions to us all will long endure."

Moments later on the tarmac in Columbus, Ohio, Democratic nominee Barack Obama expressed a similar sadness, saying Russert was "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," said Obama. "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."

On Nov. 14, 2007, I actually had the honor of interviewing the master. We were standing in the lobby of Washington, D.C.'s still-unopened Newseum for Meet the Press's 60th Anniversary bash. Politicians and media personalities circulated with cocktails and Asian hors d'oeuvres in hand. A novice, I was somewhat nervous. (It's one thing interviewing a politician; it's another interviewing a fellow journalist, especially a journalist you admire as much as Russert.) But he put me right at ease. Asked about the presidential race, his passion was palpable. "It's just so wide open," he said. "It's the first election since 1952 where an incumbent president or vice president's name is not going to be on the ballot. It's historic, it's volatile, and there are a lot of surprises still to come."

All his Meet the Press interviews, he said, had "had an impact" on him. But pressed to name a favorite, Russert confessed that "the most memorable" were his conversations with "a president in the Oval Office, whether it's Bill Clinton or George Bush." When I asked if it would be good to have Bill back in the White House, Russert balked. At the time, I assumed I had offended him. But looking back at the video, I see something different: a journalist dismayed by a media culture long on opinion and short on knowledge. I won't forget his answer.

"I don't make judgments," he said. "That's up to the voters. You know, a lot of shows, the host will tell you what's good, what's bad. What I do is ask questions of Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, let people finish their sentences and complete their thoughts, and then let the voters decide."

He will be missed.