Clinton supporter Terry McAuliffe appeared last Sunday on Meet the Press, and as he spun the tale of Sen. Hillary Clinton's future in the Democratic race, he let a major error slip — describing anchor Tim Russert's father as, "in heaven right now, Tim, probably having a scotch."

It turns out "Big Russ," is very much alive — Russert followed up McAuliffe's answer, saying, "Big Russ is in the Barcalounger still watching this, God bless him."

Politico's Ben Smith reports McAuliffe sent a bottle of scotch this week to Russert's father as an apology, with a note wishing him, "many more years of scotch-drinking on the Barcalounger."

If you haven't seen the awkward moment, check it out: