[SinyugiN]

He did not suggest that the administration was falsifying evidence or manufacturing the case for war. He did not see that as his role. Well, I think he should have seen it as his role to aggressively expose what must have been clear to someone with his exposure to information. What he managed to get on the record with Cheney wasn't enough in light of that despicable criminal's myriad treasonous acts. These "journalists" with the big names and big salaries are just too beholden to power. They have mortgages and lifestyles to maintain, and one doesnt do that anymore by rocking the boat. I think it is a bit depressing when Russert is put in the same category as Walter Kronkite (who recently denounced the state of the corporate news) who functioned in a different era when the economics and control of news departments were different. NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, FOX and all of their alphabet soup offshoots are a big part of the problem.
Russert wasn't the worst of the modern shills, but he was a controlled puppet like the rest of them if you ask me. He knew what lines not to cross.
Look at his pathetic questions at the debate...what a disgrace to the idea of informing us on the real issues.
I say, may he rest in peace because he was a fellow traveler on this road of life, and I'm sure he made the choices he felt he needed to, but I can't find many people to truly respect anymore on the major news broadcasts here in America.