Hundreds came out to mourn the loss of Tim Russert, anchor of “Meet the Press” and chief of NBC’s Washington Bureau, after he died from a heart attack last Friday. The politically elite, such as President Bush, John McCain, and Barack Obama, joined media staples and throngs of fans in honoring and remembering Russert’s work.

Acclaimed as being one of the most impartial political commentators, Russert showed up to each show on which he appeared — “Meet the Press,” “The Today Show,” and a mass of other political shows on various networks — highly researched and prepared. He asked tough but fair questions of each of his guests.

Robert Novak wrote in today’s Chicago Sun Times, “Because of Russert’s preparation, appearing on ‘Meet the Press’ was like a visit to the dentist.” Yet, that never stopped serious politicians, authors, and commentators from appearing on the show week after week.

As NBC ponders how to replace Russert in his multitude of roles, the political world keeps its fingers crossed to have someone as fair and serious as Russert was when it came to his interviews, not just a talking head looking for ratings.

Though Russert gave me the cold shoulder when I tried to talk to him at the New Hampshire primaries — which I held an unfair grudge about — I join with the rest of the public in honoring his work and the developments he made for the industry. An expert in both the media and politics, he will be sorely missed.