Is Tim Russert a Saint?

Meet the Press' perky Buffalo Bills loving host Tim Russert had a dream-vision that Sadaam Hussein was captured the night before the bedraggled dictator was lured out of his spider hole by US forces.

Peter Johnson of USA TODAY writes:

"At a party Saturday night in Washington, NBC Meet the Press host Tim Russert bumped into an unusually upbeat (ed note: CIA Director) George Tenet.

"He told the CIA director that he had dreamt that Saddam Hussein had been captured.

"'Have a nice holiday,' Tenet said, knowing then what the country would learn in nine hours: The Iraqi dictator had been caught.

"On NBC's Today Sunday morning, anchor Tom Brokaw put Russert's dream in perspective, quipping that Russert, a Buffalo Bills fan, had often dreamt about the Bills winning the Super Bowl."

Okay, Crossing Over with John Edwards!

The Roman Catholic "canonized" dean of Washington journalism is highly regarded by the press corps: but could Tim Russert have the right stuff to become one of "the blessed"?

St. Tim ... we like it.

But the path to canonization and sainthood is heady stuff.

Tracy Wilkinson writes on canonization in the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette:

"To be considered (for sainthood), candidates for beatification and sainthood - they are known as Servants of God - must have a widespread reputation for holiness that grows and deepens after their death."

Check! While St. Tim is still very much alive and, may we say, lively, he has a strong reputation, why, just look at what his Washington Speakers page says of him:

"With a reputation for hard-hitting journalism that cuts through the spin and uncovers the truth, Tim Russert is one of the most influential journalists working in Washington today. As NBC�s senior vice president and Washington bureau chief, he has helped shape the way today�s news is reported and analyzed. As producer and moderator of Meet The Press, he heads one of the most popular and most often quoted news programs on the air. As political analyst for Today and anchor of CNBC�s The Tim Russert Show, he has brought his insight and intelligence to a global audience. With quick wit and warm humor, Russert sheds an irreverent light on the Washington scene, even as he unravels its most intricate complexities."

The second part of sainthood is where we hit a snag, though. Wilkinson writes:

"And they must be known to have intercessionary powers. That means a believer can pray to the candidate requesting intercession with God to grant a favor, which in virtually every case is the cure of a serious medical problem."

Hmmm, Running back Travis Henry has been performing with a fracture in his lower right fibula, just above the ankle.

Perhaps we should all pray to St. Tim for a healing, and help his efforts to achieve the status we all believe he deserves, as Patron Saint of hard hitting Washington journalism.

Amen.