Luke Russert, Tim's only son, appeared on the Today Show this morning to talk about his father. Luke just graduated from Boston College a few weeks ago.

Categories: Media | People and Places |
Posted by Elise Hu at 9:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The announcement, from Russert's close friend and colleague Tom Brokaw:

Categories: Media | People and Places |
Posted by Elise Hu at 3:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Austinite and former Bush Press Secretary Scott McClellan appeared on the Today Show this morning, where he said he decided he had to start telling the truth. Now there's this wacky "truth" stuff spilling out all over the place, and McClellan's former White House colleagues are doing all they can to discredit him. Here's his interview from this morning. Let us know what you think.

Categories: Media | People and Places |
Posted by Elise Hu at 9:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

... Does the GOP have a minority problem? A recent story in the Politico said yes. Here's the lede (I think that's how the newspaper people like to spell "lead"):

Just a few years after the Republican Party launched a highly publicized diversity effort, the GOP is heading into the 2008 election without a single minority candidate with a plausible chance of winning a campaign for the House, the Senate or governor.

Casteel's Letter to the Editor, published in the Politico today, focuses on minority participation here in the Texas GOP. The full letter is linked above, here's an excerpt:

The GOP is the only party nominating and electing African-Americans. Led by party Chairman Michael Williams, who is currently running for reelection to the Texas Railroad Commission (the state's energy agency, despite its name), Texas Republicans are bucking the national "failure."

Along with Williams, both Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson and Supreme Court Justice Dale Wainwright are running for reelection as Republicans.

Here in Texas, Democrats have failed to nominate African-Americans to statewide offices. In the March primaries, Democrats had the opportunity to support Barack Obama for president and to nominate Art Hall, a young, up-and-coming African-American, as their nominee for Railroad commissioner. Both lost.

BTW Michael Williams turns 55 this week, happy birthday Commissioner!

Categories: Media | People and Places |
Posted by Elise Hu at 8:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Aw man. The soon-to-be-released memoir by Austinite Scott McClellan is causing quite a stir this morning. Bush's Brain, Karl Rove, was on Fox News and said this (emphasis mine):

"That doesn't sound like the Scott I know, it sounds like a left-wing blogger... If he had these moral qualms, he should have spoken out about them."

Oh dear. Rove called McClellan a... BLOGGER??!?!? Snap!

Categories: Media | People and Places |
Posted by Elise Hu at 8:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I must confess. I didn't watch last night's coverage of the Kentucky and Oregon primaries. It marked the first night I've skipped coverage of a primary or caucus since the start of this crazy season. I later watched the candidates speeches online, and found Obama's highly-praised speech to be a little... long. What's wrong with me?

I think I've lost that lovin' feeling.

But a link that just landed in my inbox told me I'm not alone. Here's the Columbia Journalism Review:

We started the season elated at the unprecedented Historical Moment we were part of, thrilled to be covering such an Exciting Election. We're still into it, and everything, but no longer is every little thing the remaining Democratic candidates do exciting and worthy of report. We've heard their stories--over and over and over. We're know all too well their mannerisms and their quirks, their physical tics and their habits of mind. We're in the Long Haul. The honeymoon's over.

So when, last night, Obama won the majority of pledged delegates in the Democratic nominating contest--a feat that would have made for a Big Night Out in any other context--we were, as a whole, kinda bored.

Categories: 2008 Presidential Race | Media |
Posted by Elise Hu at 3:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)