Broder leaves a remarkable body of work

On the night before the 2008 New Hampshire primary, a few Washington Post reporters gathered for dinner in Manchester to pay tribute to David Broder for his almost half-century of covering presidential contests in the Granite State. We all knew it might be the last primary he would ever cover there.

He was in good form, dressed in his typical road wear - an old, tan corduroy jacket and plaid flannel shirt. He had a smile on his face and was totally in his element. He loved these moments in every campaign, as the voters were about to speak. At one point, he was asked for any last-minute observations. "Watch Ron Paul!" he said.

David Broder was the best political reporter of his or any other generation. He defined the beat as it had not been defined before. He spent a lifetime instructing succeeding generations of reporters - never by dictate but always by example.

He could be tough on politicians when they deserved it, but he was extraordinarily generous to his colleagues, particularly those new to the beat. He created a climate of collegiality that allowed everyone else to flourish, even while demonstrating from one campaign to the next the keenest insights and shrewdest judgments.

He was a tireless reporter. He wrote two columns a week for most of the past 40 years, but for almost that entire time he carried a full load as a reporter on The Post's national staff.

That was almost 30 years and many laptops ago. He was still at it through the midterm elections last fall, making his rounds despite an aging pair of legs and a body that was giving out on him. His death at 81 brings a remarkable career to a close.