The tributes to Timothy J. Russert, the host of NBC’s Meet the Press who died Friday, have been heartfelt, moving and bipartisan. Often, too, they have contained surprises.

Thanks to Woodward, Bernstein and Deep Throat, the first rule of investigative journalism is “Follow The Money.”

The rule works for Muckety, too, especially when it comes to politics. Connections between politicians and their donors are always revealing.

A case in point: A story by Michael Cooper and Leslie Wayne in Thursday’s New York Times. It focused on the wealthy Paul E. Singer, a hedge-fund founder and backer of Rudy Giuliani’s presidential bid.

President Bush nominated former judge Michael Mukasey as the next attorney general on Monday.

As a federal judge in New York, Mukasey has presided over a number of high-profile terror cases, including those of defendants in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. He also signed the arrest warrant against Jose Padilla.

The nomination indicates a desire on both sides of the aisle to fill the post quickly, with minimal conflict. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) described Mukasey as “a lot better than some of the other names mentioned.” At the other end of the spectrum, conservative editor William Kristol also endorsed Mukasey.

Judith Miller, a central figure in both the Lewis Libby trial and the debate over weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, has joined the Manhattan Institute.

The former New York Times reporter is now an adjunct fellow at the conservative think tank. The bio posted on the institute’s web site describes her focus as “Middle East and counterterrorism, and the need to strike a delicate balance between protecting both national security and American civil liberties in a post-9/11 world.”