A collection of thoughts from around the web. Ezra Klein:

Because I think folks should be remembered for their best work, here's a transcript of his September 2002 interview with Dick Cheney. If the press had been as skeptical and aggressive in the run-up to the war as Russert was on that morning, sitting next to the vice president, we never would have invaded Iraq ... Presumably, he's up somewhere beyond the cloudline, hectoring God about His inconsistencies. "But Lord, in Exodus 6:12, you clearly said..."

Michelle Malkin:

He was a fixture of Beltway political journalism, good on the entitlement crisis, and by all accounts, a good-humored guy. One small personal experience: When I was a lowly videotape library aide at NBC News in 1992, I sent him a critique of the information-gathering systemand he was kind enough to send a reply. R.I.P.

Chris Cillizza:

Russert was, without question, the single most influential political journalist working in Washington. His show -- known to insiders as simply "MTP" -- was not only the most watched of the Sunday news programs but also the one that every politician and journalist aspired to appear on.

Ambinder:

An unbelievable shock; this city will all but shut down over the next few days, so vital was he to its voice.

(Photo: Matt May/Getty.)

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