Bob Costas Is My Hero

Bob Costas made news today for not hosting a show and immediately became my hero:

While some cable TV hosts are making their living off the Natalee Holloway case this summer, Bob Costas is having none of it.

Costas, hired by CNN as an occasional fill-in on "Larry King Live," refused to anchor Thursday's show because it was primarily about the Alabama teenager who went missing in Aruba. Chris Pixley filled in at the last minute.

"I didn't think the subject matter of Thursday's show was the kind of broadcast I should be doing," Costas said in a statement. "I suggested some alternatives but the producers preferred the topics they had chosen. I was fine with that, and respectfully declined to participate."

The Natalee Holloway story is very sad, but should have run its course months ago. Thanks to a slow news summer (at least until Cindy Sheehan showed up), the story had legs far beyond that which would have been expected. The tropical paradise, the beautiful blond...everything a tabloid show could wish for.

Costas is a very smart guy and a good interviewer, but clearly didn't see the value in continually flogging this story. My hat's off to him for passing on it.