Remembering Russert's Encounter with Cheney

The sudden and tragic death of NBC's Tim Russert has generated a lot of sympathy from politicians and media players in the last few days, which is as it should be. Russert was nothing if not an enthusiastic political journalist, a man in his element on Meet the Press.

One way to honor Russert's memory is to note his efforts to make the Bush Administration own up to its incessant drumbeat for war. Unlike too many of his media colleagues and the entire conservative establishment, Russert was a skeptic about many of the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld talking points.

Here, thanks to the folks at Mother Jones, is a small sample of Russert's good work, and Dick Cheney's erroneous judgment.

MR. RUSSERT: If your analysis is not correct, and we're not treated as liberators, but as conquerors, and the Iraqis begin to resist, particularly in Baghdad, do you think the American people are prepared for a long, costly, and bloody battle with significant American casualties?

VICE PRES. CHENEY: Well, I don't think it's likely to unfold that way, Tim, because I really do believe that we will be greeted as liberators….