Evan Sayet ponders the hagiography of Tim Russert by the media.

The insularity and arrogance of the media is well-known and thus they think the passing of one of their own is more significant than the passing of a Pope or a President. But, even that doesn’t explain it all. After all, while coverage of Peter Jennings’ premature passing was overkill as well, it was nowhere near the hagiography we witnessed last week.

So, what is it about Russert that is engendering this kind of passion amongst the leftists in the media?

I suspect it is their recognition of the passing of the last decent man amongst them. Listening to their eulogies one is struck by how what they single out as the qualities that made Russert great are exactly the one’s the rest of them violently reject.

Russert had — and respected — his Jesuit roots and Catholic faith. This amongst people to whom faith is the greatest of all evils and whose hatred for Christianity (and specifically Catholicism) is legend.

Russert appreciated the people of small town America. Time and again the story was told this week of Russert making his first call after each program to his father, “Big Russ” of Buffalo, New York, to see if he’d lived up to his standards and values. This in opposition to the leftist news man who holds the people of Buffalo (and all other towns outside what they derisively call “fly-over country”) is utter disdain, believing, as their hero Barack Obama believes, that these losers “cling” to their values out of “antipathy for people who aren’t like them.”

Russert was optimistic and happy — exactly the opposite traits of the Modern Liberal who is constantly angry, jealous, petty and feeling “victimized.” Americans are optimistic and happy. Russert was an American.