With the news of Tim Russert's death today, there has been much talk about how he put politicians on the spot during interviews.

One such occasion was in May 2002, when Russert interviewed then-U.S. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.

By some accounts, Edwards did not fare well. Conservative columnist Robert Novak said at the time that Edwards "withered under Tim Russert's grilling."

It was more than a year before Edwards appeared again on the show - some said it was because he received such poor reviews the first time. But Edwards, by most accounts, fared better the second time around.

David Axelrod, Edwards' media strategist at the time, said Edwards' second interview with Russert was "a benchmark of his evolution as a candidate."

The transcript of the 2002 interview after the jump.

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Columnist Robert Novak created a stir during his last appearance at the John Locke Foundation in December 2005.

That was in middle of the investigation of who leaked the identity of former CIA agent Valerie Plame to Novak, Rob Christensen reports.

"I'm confident that president knows who the source is," Novak told the Raleigh luncheon then. "I'd be amazed if he doesn't."

Novak's comments were printed in the Under the Dome column and went around the country, leading to congressional Democrats to demand the president 'fess up.

The president's conversation with Novak, after the jump.

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Veteran political columnist Robert Novak said that this is most wide open presidential race since 1952, and it may be the Democrats to lose.

But Novak cautioned today that public opinion polls six months before the first primaries and caucuses should not be given a lot of credence, Rob Christensen reports.

"Don't pay any attention to the polls," Novak told a luncheon of the John Locke Foundation in Raleigh. "It’s way too much in advance."

"Wasn't Howard Dean a great president?" Novak quipped, referring to the former Vermont governor who was an early leader in the Democratic primary in the 2004 race before quickly fading.

Novak's thoughts on the major contenders, after the jump.

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