This will be the last mention of the passing of Tim Russert, but as I said the last time I wrote about it, I'm a huge Meet the Press fan.  Now that Tim Russert is gone, someone is going to have to carry on.  Here are my thoughts of some of the names being bandied about:

David Gregory: I think he's too weak to host a big time show like Meet the Press.  In fact, I think he's too weak to host the show he's hosting on MSNBC.  I also think he's got some off air character issues which could eventually bite NBC if they gave him the shot.

Chris Matthews: No, for two reasons.  First, he's the anti-Russert.  He isn't about making the news, he is about HIM making the news. Second, he's already got a syndicated weekly talk show which NBC wouldn't even consider buying out.

Keith Olbermann: He's way too opinionated and polarizing to host the signature free TV news show.  Even though he is considered the golden boy at MSNBC, he's ticked off way too many people to be considered.  Besides, if he did get the gig, Russert would come back and haunt Jeff Zucker.

Chuck Todd: NBC's political director would be my first choice if I were making the decision. I think he's got the knowledge and the contacts and is generally viewed in a positive light.  Unless. . .

Tom Brokaw: If NBC could coax him out of retirement, at least until the election, the show might still survive at a high level.  He would be the best choice, but he clearly has the leverage in this situation.