News of the death last week of Mark Shields was received with universal sorrow and regret in political Washington and outside the Beltway.

In print, the New York Times published a lengthy obituary recounting “a life immersed in politics,” describing him as “a piercing analyst of America’s political virtues and failings … with bluntly liberal views and sharply honed wit.” On television, his PBS colleagues praised his life and life’s work: “There was nobody like him,” declared Judy Woodruff, the anchor and managing editor of PBS NewsHour, adding that “he loved politics. He loved politicians.” David Brooks, his longtime PBS NewsHour co-commentator and sometime sparring partner, told viewers that “God gave him a golden heart. He just believed in America, believed in unpretentious America … in regular Americans, and all of us.”