Irreplaceable

Every once in a while, but not very often, this town feels like a family. It felt that way this weekend when, after the most unlucky Friday the 13th, this family lost one of its own. If not a father, than at least an uncle or big brother. One you always thought (knew?) would be there to explain the world to you, in a way that all made sense. In those quirky ways only a family can understand.

-- The outpouring of affection for Tim Russert falls into three categories. To borrow from the parlance of the Sunday shows, a trifecta. First, he was too young. Second, he excelled so spectacularly in a job he adored. Third, he was a good man: a loving son, father, husband ... and teacher, a vocation he once assumed would be his life's ambition. Indeed, as WH'08 gears up, it now seems like we're about to take the best course on campus, and the school's most popular professor won't be around to teach it.

-- To our friends at NBC News and the Russert family, you're in our thoughts and prayers today. Ours and the rest of your extended Washington family.