Greetings, dear friends.

You might like to peruse the following column by well-connected conservative, Paul Weyrich:

Rumors of a Third Nominee to the Supreme Court

Weyrich notes a "rumor which absolutely has swept the Nation’s Capitol since the swearing-in of Justice Samuel J. Alito, Jr." 

He continues:

That rumor is that President George W. Bush will have another vacancy on the Supreme Court when the term ends this coming June.

One Senator claims he has specific knowledge that the vacancy is coming. The speculation revolves around 85-year-old Associate Justice John Paul Stevens.

Now I ask, dear readers, what could have transpired to cause such a rumor to sweep the Capitol?

Since vanity and self-congratulations are not in my nature, I hesitate to think that my Astonishingly Accurate Prediction #6 could have been the source of this Beltway buzz.

Yet it is difficult to come to any other conclusion.

As for the Senator who claims "specific knowledge that the vacancy is coming" ... please be assured I am not upset that he fails to attribute this information to me.

It merely reaffirms what is indeed no secret ... that Senators and their staffs are frequent visitors to this space. 

Knowing that distinguished elected officials speak and act in reliance on information offered here is far from being a source of pride to me.

Rather, it contributes to a sense of profound humility.