'Meet the Press' transcript for June 22, 2008

MR. WILLIAMS:  One state poll that stuck out to us, presidential election among Georgia voters:  McCain, 44; Obama, 43; and there's Bob Barr at 6.

John, what do you make of the numbers?

MR. HARWOOD:  Well, the third-party candidates can make a difference in certain places.  Of course, we saw that in Florida in 2000.  Bob Barr is not going to make a splash in most parts of the country.  But Georgia's a very interesting case.  They are playing.  Sam Nunn is a potential vice presidential choice.

MR. WILLIAMS:  Mm-hmm.

MR. HARWOOD:  Georgia's a state where, if you supercharge African-American turnout, it's conceivable that Barack Obama could make a run there, and you see that Bob Barr may be helping him.

MR. WILLIAMS:  Now, Andrea, let's talk about the veepstakes.

MS. MITCHELL:  Yes.

MR. WILLIAMS:  You witnessed the scene with Senator Biden...

MS. MITCHELL:  That was wonderful.

MR. WILLIAMS:  ...just before the break.  And we got two distinct answers. Where does--where is the making of the list these days by the "great mentioners"?

MS. MITCHELL:  Well, it's very actively engaged and engaging.  Let's start with Georgia.  Sam Nunn told me on MSNBC, impossible--"implausible, but not impossible" is his phrasing.  Implausible, but not impossible that he would be the nominee.  Pluses and minuses:  foreign policy experience, the nuclear threat reduction.  Minuses, he is an anathema to the gay and lesbian community because of "don't ask, don't tell." He's tried to moderate his position, but it was he and Colin Powell who shoved that down a young Bill Clinton's throat in 1993 as a new president.  So there are large Democratic interest groups who would rebel at the convention if Sam Nunn were the nominee.  But with Bob Barr in the race, insiders are saying, "Take a look at those numbers." With Bob Barr in the race, Sam Nunn could make the difference and could carry Georgia. So you have people who could individually bring states.  Evan Bye, on the Democratic side, is plausible on economic issues, former governor, enough on national security issues because his membership on Armed Services and other, you know, experience, a red state, Indiana.  Those are people that are being looked at pretty seriously.

MR. WILLIAMS:  John, what's the...

MR. HARWOOD:  And by the way, that candor you got out of Joe Biden on "Of course I'll say yes"...

MS. MITCHELL:  Right.

MR. HARWOOD:  ...when every other veep candidate is on the show for the rest of the year, whatever their answer is when they're asked the question, a thought bubble out to be displayed, "Of course I will say yes."

MR. WILLIAMS:  "Of course I will say yes." Give me the lightning round.  Just reel off, we have about a minute left, reel off the, the list, both sides, if you had to come down to two or three of the, of the must-look-at veep selections for both candidates.

MR. HARWOOD:  If I was looking at three on the Democratic side, I would say Ted Strickland, the governor or Ohio, Hillary Clinton supporter...

MR. WILLIAMS:  Mm-hmm.

MR. HARWOOD:  ...Evan Bye, senator from Indiana, also a Hillary Clinton supporter, and perhaps Joe Biden of Delaware, who could fulfill a national security need.  Sam Nunn's also a candidate.  On the Republican side, I think you've got to look at Charlie Crist of Florida, who's in The New York Times this weekend talking about that possibility; you've got to look at Tim Pawlenty, the governor of Minnesota; and you've got to look at somebody like Rob Portman in Ohio.

MR. WILLIAMS:  That's going to be the last word.  My thanks to both of you. Thanks, friends, for being here this Sunday morning.

We'll be right back with a special tribute to our friend Tim Russert in just a moment.

(Announcements)

MR. WILLIAMS:  Welcome back.  This past Wednesday we said a final goodbye to a great man and a dear friend of ours beloved by so many, Tim Russert.  We all gathered at the Kennedy Center here in Washington for a beautiful memorial service celebrating his spectacular American life.  And when it was over, we exited to a wonderful piece of music, a well-known rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." It served as a reminder of Tim's great love of life.

(Videotape, June 18, 2008)

Sister MARY LUCILLE SOCCIARELLI:  I hear God, "Here's little Timmy Russert. You're in heaven now, Tim, where every day is MEET THE PRESS.  Welcome home."

MR. TOM BROKAW:  His role was to be a citizen journalist, to speak for those with no voice, to hold public officials accountable, to fulfill the role that I have always thought as the highest calling of a citizen in this country, to be a patriot.

MR. WILLIAMS:  He touched all of us, if not with that big made-in-Buffalo right paw of his that would come down on your shoulder, through his friendship, through his mentoring.  He was our partner.

MR. MIKE BARNICLE:  I see his face, I hear his laugh, I feel his joy, his absolute delight in the life God gave him.  Timothy J.  Russert--noble, honorable, intensely loyal.

MS. MARIA SHRIVER:  I lost my heart to Timmy Russert the day I met him, and the entire time I knew him he took care of it.

MS. BETSEY FISCHER:  He'd say this is all part of life.  We have to move forward, lean on each other and cherish all the good times and live every day to its fullest, but live it with honor and integrity, and always reach down to help someone else up.

MR. LUKE RUSSERT:  My dad was a force of nature, and now his own cycle in nature is complete.  But his spirit lives on in everybody who loves their country, loves their family, loves their faith and loves those Buffalo Bills. I love you, Dad.  And in his words, let us all "go get 'em."

(End videotape)

MR. WILLIAMS:  And there, as if on cue, at the end of that sad and happy and sentimental service, there it was, the rainbow that broke out across the sky all over Washington and for all to see.

(Announcements)

MR. WILLIAMS:  That's all for today.  It goes without saying, this was an honor to moderate this morning's broadcast, and I'll be back here from time to time on Sunday mornings.  But we have an announcement this morning we think will please loyal viewers of this great broadcast.  Beginning next week, my friend Tom Brokaw has agreed to step in as moderator of MEET THE PRESS, to get us through this election season.  We're fortunate to have Tom not only, of course, as part of our NBC News political all-star team, certainly a big part of our "NBC Nightly News" family.  And allow me to add, during these past difficult days, Tom's been an enormous comfort here in this Washington bureau; for that matter, throughout this news division.

So, on behalf of everyone at NBC News, I'm Brian Williams.  Thank you for joining us.  And we'd like to thank you for the enormous outpouring of support for our friend Tim and his family.  And as a great man said every week, "If it's Sunday, it's MEET THE PRESS."

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