With Tim Russert's death as a result of a massive heart attack on June 13, 2008, a media frenzy ensued that looked like a swarm of bees going after a threat.

I do not have any personal issues with Tim Russert, however, I believe that he was one of the most overrated and overstated political commentators in the political landscape. I have watched Meet the Press on many occasions and found it to be boring, not highly informative, and more of a parody that would be seen on the Simpsons or SNL.

While, Russert worked hard at his craft, had a strong devotion to his family and seemed like a nice guy on a personal level, he simply was not as great as the media portratyed him after his death. I saw everyone from Fox News, ABC News, CBS News, CNN and others drooling and stumbling over themselves to state how great Russert was. He hosted a political show. Big deal! Anyone can put on a suit, ask a few questions, let someone ramble, and throw out some points here and there. It does not mean you are great or remarkable. Although, I definitely prefer Russert over Keith Olbermann, Dan Rather, and Katie Couric. I also believe that Russert is just as good as Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity who are overrated themselves.

Like Hannity and Limbaugh are operatives of the Republican Party, Russert was an operative of the Democrat Party. As such, there was a biased agenda there. Russert worked for Senator Tip O'Neil and Senator Patrick Moynahan, of whom are highly liberal. That until itself does not make him great, like some have claimed. If I worked for Senator McCain or Senator Obama, that does not make me great.

The media's constant overstatement of Russert understates others who are more deserving. The example of a Navy Seal, Michael Monsoor, who threw himself on top of a grenade to save his buddies comes to mind. He was subsequently awarded the Congressional Medial of Honor, posthumously. I saw a brief snippet mentioned about this and not much else on various news shows. The media mentioned it just to give the U.S.Military token gratitude. The Navy Seal, Michael Monsoor, who performed above and beyond the call of duty and took a grenade to save his friends is far more worthy and deserving than this butt kissing puke fest we have seen for Russert.

The media frenzy is not Russert's fault, however. It is more symptomatic of the larger problem with the vast majority of the media misplacing priorities.

Incidently, I also believe that President Ronald Reagan's funeral was overplayed as well. He is one of the greatest leaders in this country's history, no matter your politics, but the media just stumbled all over itself to cover it. The funeral proceedings could have toned down for other important news and events.

I wish the best for Russert's family, but enough with the over-embellishment party.

Alan W.