Love her or hate her, Rachael Maddow said of Hastings tonight (paraphrased from memory) "There are a lot of journalists who hope to be or claim to be fearless in their reporting. Michael Hastings was fearless. Most people got the impression after talking to him briefly that he wasn't like everyone else -- you were NOT going to be able to ignore him."

He was an infrequent guest on Up with Chris Hayes. I remember fast forwarding through most guests verbal essays to listen to his.

He'll be sorely missed... in an era when we need people like him the most.

I'm glad to read that someone took the opportunity to say to their face, what I think daily when I can even talk myself into watching / listening to such apparatchiks, any more.