Jul 20 2007
Tim Russert Dream Interview
According to his NBC bio, Russert “has interviewed every major figure on the American political scene.”
Still, he has regrets. Russert wished he could’ve had Pope John Paul II on “Meet the Press.” “I would’ve asked him about his life as an outspoken religious leader,” Russert said, specifically his impact on the fall of Communism and his views about how American Catholics viewed his teachings.
President Bush hasn’t appeared on “Meet the Press” since February 2004, Russert noted. He said that he’d ask Bush if he anticipates any change in the administration’s Iraq policy. “I don’t expect” there would be one, according to Russert.
Can you guess who is his dream “get”?
It’s rock and roll star Bruce Springsteen. “I’m very intrigued by him,” Russert said. “He has a real understanding of the political dialogue, of faith and life in urban America.”
Russert already has a connection to “the Boss.” “I booked concerts for John Carroll [University] in Cleveland,” Russert recalled. “We paid $2,500 to book him on a Tuesday night in February 1974.”
Aside from the indelible mental snapshot of seeing a brilliant performer 18 months before he made it big, Russert cherishes the memory for a more practical reason: “I made enough money to pay for my second year of law school.”
He said he told Springsteen the story once when he ran into him at a New York City restaurant. Springsteen laughed and said, “That sounds like one of my songs.”
I bet Russert could woo Springsteen by playing snippets of his tunes to accompany appearances by the candidates: “Glory Days” for Sen. John McCain, “Born to Run” for Sen. Hillary Clinton, “Two Hearts” for John Edwards, “It’s Hard to be a Saint in the City” for Mitt Romney, “New York City Serenade” for Rudy Giuliani, “Jungleland” for Mayor Michael Bloomberg and, of course, “I’m on Fire” for Obama.
If Michael Dukakis, comes on the show, Russert can cue up “Kitty’s Back” for the missus.
I asked Russert if he had reached out to Springsteen to request an interview. He shook his head, as if he was unworthy of the meeting. It was reassuring to see that even Tim “No Surrender” Russert, the scourge of Washington, could act a little overwhelmed by someone.
Guess We Cant Blame You Tim
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