Honoring the life of Timothy John Russert, Jr., public servant, political analyst, and author.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1275) honoring the life of Timothy John Russert, Jr., public servant, political analyst, and author.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, it's with a heavy heart that I call up for consideration H. Res. 1275 which honors the life of legendary journalist Tim Russert whose life slipped away suddenly on Friday, June 13, 2008. I would like to thank the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Ranking Member Tom Davis and also Committee Chair Henry Waxman.

That said, it is with profound regret that I stand before you on the floor of the House today to mourn and commemorate the life of Tim Russert, an icon of America's media for nearly two decades. Mr. Russert died on Friday after collapsing at NBC's Washington, D.C., home of ``Meet the Press'' at age 58.

While Tim Russert was a former Democratic congressional staffer, Washington bureau chief, and senior vice president of NBC News, the world knew him best as the host of the famous Sunday morning news show ``Meet the Press.''

In addition to his professional journalism accomplishments, Mr. Russert was also a best-selling author, penning the New York Times best-selling memoir ``Big Russ & Me'' and ``Wisdom of Our Fathers.''

From his chair at ``Meet the Press,'' Mr. Russert demonstrated his dedication to Democracy, his passion for politics, his admiration for fairness, honesty, and humanity. Mr. Russert's enthusiasm for journalism and politics earned him the respect and acclaim of so many Americans, including myself and many of my colleagues.

Born in Buffalo, New York, on May 7, 1950, Tim Russert received his undergraduate degree from John Carroll University, then proceeded to earn a law degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Over the years, he earned 48 honorary doctorate degrees, which serves as further evidence of his prolific impact on the world.

While Tim Russert sat in the front seat of world history chronicling the domestic and international political events that have defined our time, he performed his work with great humanity and quality of character. Tim Russert had a gift for making the all-too-complex nature of Washington politics understandable and compelling for Americans across our great country.

In recognition of his work as the epitome of journalistic talent and devotion, Tim Russert won an Emmy Award for his coverage of the funeral of President Ronald Reagan, the Radio and Television Correspondents' Joan S. Barone Award, the Annenberg Center's Walter Cronkite Award, and the Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence in Television Journalism for his interviews of leading national political figures.

As the former Washington bureau chief of the Wall Street Journal stated, Tim Russert ``really was the best political journalist in America, not just the best television journalist in America.''

Accordingly, it is my hope that we will join the citizens of this country in recognizing and honoring the contributions of a great American, Timothy John Russert, Junior.

H. Res. 1275 formally expresses our deepest condolences upon the death of Timothy John Russert, Junior, and expends our sympathies to his wife Maureen and his son Luke for their loss. It is a loss that will certainly impact all of us for quite some time to come.

Madam Speaker, earlier today, I attended at St. Albans the viewing service for Tim Russert with Erie County Clerk Kathy Hochul, a trusted friend, former colleague, and student intern of Tim Russert. The tribute based on a line that was extending around the campus is extraordinary and profound to recognize his life.

I would like to leave you with the story about Tim Russert and how he made it to Washington from his native Buffalo. Tim Russert would always tell that story to highlight the importance of the working-class values that were instilled in him by his father, Big Russ.

It was the blizzard of 1977 when 3 feet of snow fell on Buffalo with extraordinary winds. Tim Russert was working for Daniel Patrick Moynihan at the time. Moynihan had come to Buffalo to survey the damage from the blizzard.

He was so impressed with Tim Russert, Senator Moynihan said, ``Tim, you have to come to Washington; you have great qualities that will serve you very well there, and you can be with me on my staff.''

Russert went to Washington and, after a short period of time, was somewhat discouraged. Senator Moynihan had recognized that he was discouraged and asked him what the problem was. Tim said, ``Senator, your staff is made up of ideologues, Ivy League-educated people, and I'm from a blue collar background in Buffalo.'' Senator Moynihan put his arm around Tim and said, ``Tim, what they know you can learn. What you know, the values of hard work, of honesty, of love of community, of love of family, they can never learn.''

It's with that that Tim Russert started his career in Washington, in both politics first and foremost and then in journalism.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I now yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

I yield 1 additional minute to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia.

Madam Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter).

Madam Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen).

Madam Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

Madam Speaker, just let me say in closing, Tim Russert was the voice to a Nation and to the world with a distinct inflection of that of Buffalo, imbued with exuberance and tempered with a love of family and community and country.

With that, I would ask that this resolution be approved.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Tim Russert was a great man whose time came too early. He had much more to give to us, not just this past Sunday where he would have had Joe

Biden in a one-on-one or a one-on-two and then brought him to task and brought his other guests to task.

But in fact, his legacy will disappear unless we bring ourselves to realize that the truth should not be a casualty of politics. That's what Tim Russert really brought to bear on ``Meet the Press.'' He made the style about the truth. He invited Republicans, Democrats. I think he had Ralph Nader on more than a few times. He made it a point to bring in people who were interesting, and then he asked them interesting questions. And when they answered, he then brought out the interesting fact that they perhaps had not yet prepared for. He asked them to tell the truth, and then if that was not the truth or if there was more to be heard in the truth, he brought that out. His research was second-to-none.

Now, he certainly seemed to say every single week, ``Go Bills.'' But as a Clevelander, I am going to take a little liberty today in his name because when it came time to go to a fine college, he went to John Carroll, a Jesuit college in the city in which my high school, Cleveland Heights University High School, was located. He went there because it was a fine education. I'm only surprised that he learned during those years that it was a little less expensive to go to John Marshall for his law school. So he trotted downtown to Cleveland's John Marshall, now Cleveland State's John Marshall Law School. So he was as much a Clevelander in his education, in his preparation, as he was from Buffalo.

I think that, in fact, his Cleveland roots are something we need to understand because one of the most famous things he ever did was predict in 2004 that it would be ``Ohio, Ohio, Ohio,'' that would indicate the outcome of the 2004 election. I know, Madam Speaker, that you're well aware that Ohio was, in fact, critical, not Florida.

Tim Russert was the kind of person who really enjoyed that kind of let's call the facts to bear, let's bring them in, let's force people to answer tough questions. He did so whether you were a Republican or a Democrat. He did so whether or not the outcome was one direction or the other.

I believe that's part of his Cleveland upbringing. I believe it's what made him great. So he will always be remembered for talking about the Buffalo Bills, but for me, he will always be remembered as somebody who was the product of Jesuit education at John Carroll and Cleveland- John Marshall.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

No story of Tim Russert would be complete if we didn't talk about the loss we're going to have this political season. Clearly, as Barack Obama and John McCain compete for the hearts and minds of the American people, we're going to miss Tim Russert asking the tough questions. We're going to miss him undoubtedly at the debates. Somebody else is going to have to be there to be fair but tough.

Madam Speaker, additionally, we're going to miss Tim Russert when it comes to the people on both sides of the issue of why we have $5 gasoline and $135 oil. I think Tim Russert would have been just the right guy to hold people accountable, who would talk about the 68 million acres that are ``inactive'' while, in fact, 41 million are under current lease and use and are producing millions of barrels of oil and natural gas a day, but more importantly, over 2 billion, 2 billion acres are not available for exploration and development, including the over 50 miles and less than 200 miles off the California coast. Those miles certainly could give us the natural gas we need to fire our electricity in California at a time when we are dangerously close to the lights going out once again.

So, Madam Speaker, I'm going to miss Tim Russert because this debate is too important not to have, a fact-oriented, unbiased moderator who can, in fact, bring to bear the truth that we need to have.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

I would continue to reserve.

I have no further requests for time and I continue to reserve my time.

Madam Speaker, I will continue to reserve.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Professional journalism and millions around the world are in mourning today and ever since they heard of the passing of one of America's giants of journalism. Hometown D.C. is also experiencing its special brand of mourning.

It's true that Tim Russert always talked about Buffalo and the Buffalo Bills. He never let you forget where he was from. It was important to him, where he was from. He identified with the Buffalo Bills because he identified with Buffalo and because Buffalo reminded him of his childhood and his church and his working class upbringing.

The fact is that Tim made his fortune in the District of Columbia and lived in this city. So we adopted Tim long ago as a resident of the city, knowing that his heart was back in Buffalo, but he needed a hometown. This was a man who always needed a hometown, and I can tell you he knew where he lived, and he made me know that he knew where he lived.

I was, in fact, on his program more than once and especially remember one of his end-of-the-year programs, where he kind of looked at the world and looked at what is going to happen. I love it that somehow Tim understood or at least allowed me to weave into an answer what he expected, which was some notion of voting rights that was still necessary in the District of Columbia.

Buffalo and the Buffalo Bills were the only things I know that Tim was not objective about. His gift was somehow to humanize hard news and subjects for interviews by reminding us every so often of Buffalo and the Buffalo Bills and making us laugh and making us know that he was one of us all. At the same time, he managed to be a thoroughly objective reporter and tough interrogator. That, Madam Speaker, is indeed a gift. I don't know of anyone else in broadcast who has that gift.

What was both heartbreaking and heartwarming to hear were the many personal stories from Tim's colleagues, not about their professional work with him but about how he related to them and their families as people. That, in a real sense, makes us know that when Tim talked about the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo this was always the human being talking.

By talking about ``Big Russ'' his father and writing about ``Big Russ,'' Tim was reminding us that he always knew whatever he did on his program, what was important, that family was important. He was not a politician but imagine what kind of politician he would have made? Can you imagine what he would have done in political life?

Tim took an old, respected format and made it new. Tim revolutionized his species of broadcast and branded it as his own.

Our hearts are breaking but our hearts go out to Maureen, to Luke, and especially to Tim's beloved ``Big Russ.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor and remembrance of Mr. Tim Russert, devoted husband, father, son, brother, and friend, whose brilliant legacy as a journalist served to inform the lives of all who knew him well.

Since 1991, Mr. Russert's piercing assessment of our Nation's political scene graced America's television screens on NBC's ``Meet the Press,'' enlightening viewers with tough questions posed to political candidates, elected leaders and influential people of our time. In his relentless search for the truth, Tim Russert served to provide the checks and balances critical to maintaining the integrity of our national freedoms. In every interview, with every question posed, Mr. Russert created an atmosphere of respect, fairness and integrity--an atmosphere in which his ultimate goal as a journalist was sought-- discovering the truth.

Tim Russert grew up in working-class Buffalo, NY, where the lessons of hard work, faith and family remained at the core of his being. He and three sisters, Betty, Kathleen, and Patricia were raised by their dedicated parents, Tim and Elizabeth (``Betty''). A sanitation worker and truck driver, his father worked two jobs to provide for his four children. He carried the lessons of his parents every day and within every interview. One of the most engaging and effective journalists of our time, his passion and commitment to his profession was

eclipsed only by his devotion to his family and friends. Mr. Russert shared his joy for life with everyone he met, and he treated everyone with respect and kindness, regardless of their social standing. Tim Russert never forgot where he came from, and his street-smart common sense, infused with a brilliant mind and kind heart, endeared everyone to him--even his toughest competitors.

Madam Speaker and Colleagues, please join me in honor and remembrance of Mr. Tim Russert, whose professional legacy raised critical and complex societal issues into the clear light of day. I offer my deepest condolences to his wife, Maureen; to his son, Luke; to his parents and sisters, and to his extended family members and numerous friends. Tim Russert lived his life with passion and joy, and although he will be greatly missed, the love he shared with family and friends will live on forever, and he will be remembered always.

Madam Speaker, I think the whole country shared in mourning the loss of Tim Russert as if he was part of our family. We had seen him on television for so many years, and he would come into our homes on Sunday mornings.

And he was so much like so many people in America in that he was passionate about politics, passionate about government, passionate about sports, and passionate about being an American. He loved his Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabers, he loved baseball and he loved horse racing. He loved politics, and he had two great mentors in Senator Patrick Moynihan and in Governor Mario Cuomo, two of the great people in political life to ever have the opportunity to work for.

And he was a success story, climbing from the ranks of a government official in the media and perfecting that trade and going to the heights of his profession. He was diligent in doing his research and in quizzing everybody, I think, in an even-handed manner that you really didn't know exactly where Tim Russert was coming from. I had the pleasure of meeting him at a Vanity Fair dinner, which I was invited to last year, and we were at a small table. At the time, I didn't know his wife worked for Vanity Fair. I thought Tim Russert was just there because he was Tim Russert, and that was a good enough reason for him to be there. And he was nice as he could be, just a regular guy, and we had a delightful conversation.

He loved his father. And the book about his dad, Russ, has been well spoken about. But I think what's amazing is I have a very good friend in Memphis named Ted Donaldson. And Ted had written a letter to Tim Russert to be included in the book. And Ted's not a bashful guy at all, and Ted came up to Tim Russert at a function, I think it was in New York, and he said, ``Hi, I'm Ted Donaldson, I'm from Memphis and I wrote you about my dad.'' And he said, ``Yup, page 45.'' He knew exactly the page in the book that it was. He knew his book. He appreciated the people who remembered their fathers and wrote and shared with him. And that book will go on forever remembering the relationship of fathers and sons. I'm sure his son Luke has a great tribute, what he lived and what he remembers from his father and will have a great life. I mourn with him and I'm sorry that he lost his father.