Gerald Ford was never elected president, and served only two years in office. Most people either hadn't been born when he served as president, or remember him vaguely as the guy who ran the country during the Disco Revolution.

But the New York Times has written dozens of articles on Ford's death, and other papers have given the subject similarly frenzied coverage. Judging by copy volume and number of front-page stories, Ford's death is one of the biggest news events of 2006 -- even though it impacts no one outside his immediate family and close friends.

However, the passing of a president is a great opportunity for reporters to show how adept they are at analyzing the legacy left by the dead guy. It's also a chance to dust off some old tales from the campaign trail that their grandchildren have tired of. Which goes a long way toward explaining Ford-a-palooza.

Memo to the editors: The next time the death of a president sends you into full-on spazz mode, say no. If your grandchildren think those stories are boring, just imagine how your readers feel. Run an obit and an analysis piece. Cover the funeral (with one reporter, who writes one story), and call it quits. And no, the one story doesn't include a dozen 25-inch sidebars. Or a four-column infographic with 800-word captions. Sorry.

Meanwhile, it comes as no surprise that one of the few interesting stories about Ford features Chevy Chase. Bonus to anyone who can find YouTube video of one of those early SNL sketches.