I will only say this about Steve Irwin: while I found his show to be entertaining to watch, I never learned a single thing about animals or their behavior from him.

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I learned it was ok to hold your baby while taunting a crocodile.

Bringing the Russert story into the topic of the thread, from http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=5065400&page=1:

Presidential contenders Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain, each of whom spent more than one occasion on the other side of the "Meet the Press" table, expressed their sympathies.

Both candidates called Russert "a friend."

"There wasn't a better interviewer in TV, not a more thoughtful analyst of our politics and he was also one of the finest men I knew. Somebody who cared about America, cared about the issues, cared about family. I am grief stricken with the loss and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family," said Sen. Obama, D- Ill.

McCain echoed many of those same sentiments: "I am very saddened by Tim Russert's sudden death. Cindy and I extend our thoughts and prayers to the Russert family as they cope with this shocking loss and remember the life and legacy of a loving father, husband and the preeminent political journalist of his generation. He was truly a great American who loved his family, his friends, his Buffalo Bills, and everything about politics and America. He was just a terrific guy."

Fitting for one of our latest topics

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/12/17277/3723/62/534898

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/06/12/scalia-courts-decision-r estoring-habeas-will-almost-certainly-cause-more-americans-t o-be-killed/

Fitting for one of our latest topics

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Laughing.

Ian -- agreed, agreed, agreed.  It won't be the same watching this election without Russert on Meet the Press.  It was one of those shows I not only watched, but got involved in while watching.  He was fair, intelligent and unafraid of asking the tough questions.

Well...that was pretty pointless to post.