Tim Russert died today...
and people are already wanking over it.

The comments on the Washington Post article got nasty fast:

"He loved George Bush and the CIA. More like Karma."

"I don't know what the man was, BUT he was NOOOOOOOOOOOO Journalist. I will tell you that!!"

"'He worked to the point of exhaustion so many weeks' -- um, doing what?!?

The guy was perhaps the archetype of the Beltway media clown: Obsessed with personality quirks and small-bore, made-up 'issues'. Completely oblivious to broader perspective. Absolutely incapable of asking cogent follow-up questions. A reliable servant of and mouthpiece for entrenched corporate power. I don't see any great loss, here."

Unsurprisingly, that evoked name-calling from people who liked him or find it tasteless to insult him the day of his death:

"YOU EVIL COW. Sometimes folks like you make me sick. Someone just died all of a sudden and its shocking and you write this? I hope you rot in hell."

"SGlover910, you are a PIG! The worst kind of bottom feeder."

"SGlover910,
Have you ever heard the proverb, 'not to speak evil of the dead?' It will come back to haunt you, pal. Its too bad that you won't be around to hear what people are going to say about you when you die. Given you comments here, I doubt if anyone will be standing in line to eulogize you. More likely, they will be lining up to whizz on your grave."

Other random bits in there too:

"alterego wrote: '... By all accounts a decent man dies tragically of a heart attack and you slime balls ...'

What about the 4,098 dead American soldiers in Iraq? Is that not tragic? What about the colossal failure of so-called journalists in the last 7 years to ask hard questions and demand answers?

You fail to differentiate between the trolls posting trash and actual thinkers who do give Mr. Russert credit for his personality, demeanor and accomplishments, while QUITE FAIRLY criticizing his tendency to defer to the Establishment, to accept off-the-record slime leaks from a corrupt administration, and to warmly coddle his powerful pol guests in his effusive, friendly glow."

"But PULLeazzze . . . posters, get over the 'GOD' routine. 'GOD' ain't gonna rest his soul. 'GOD' ain't gonna do any other of that BS that you attempt to invoke.

Russert is dead. Dead is DEAD. Let us move on.

Let us think about George Bush's next move into the great religious hereafter."

"I'm sure the Clintons are cheering

Mr. Potato Head was just a biased bag of wind who treated Hillary terribly during the debates.

And I can't stand Hillary but saw it for what it was."

"YOU ARE SICK! YOU AND ALL LIKE YOU CLINTON SUPPORTERS ARE IMMORAL, FEMINIST, GAY, LESBIAN, RACIST CRAP!"

"I wish more Chimpylovers would drop dead and soon.

There's plenty of space in Hell for all of you.

Although Punkinhead is taking up all the headroom in Hell right now."

The comments have more than doubled in the past half-hour, so I'm sure there is and will be more vitriol.

On top of that, E!Online's article is entitled Tim Russert Signs Off. General consensus from the 80+ commenters? INAPPROPRIATE.