White House denies Hillary Clinton SCOTUS rumor

[Johnny Bravo]

 Mon Apr 12, 6:24 pm ET

When Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens announced his retirement last week, he set off a clamor of Beltway speculation about his possible replacement. And this week has continued in the same vein, with ABC News' Jake Tapper announcing that he'd been advised that former Georgia Supreme Court Justice Leah Ward Sears, an African-American woman, was also on the White House short list of possible Stevens replacements.

The hype machine went into overdrive, though, when Sen. Orrin Hatch appeared on NBC's "Today" show saying he'd heard Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton floated as a possible candidate for the high court. The media were off and running. Any story linking Clinton with President Obama, her former bitter rival for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, is news ratings gold, after all.

"I even heard the name Hillary Clinton today, and that would be an interesting person in the mix," said Hatch, a Utah Republican who ranks high on the Senate Judiciary Committee. "I happen to like Hillary Clinton; I think she's done a good job for the Democrats." He added, "I have high respect for her, and think a great deal of her."

Of course, the idea that Hatch could be signaling that he, and presumably other members of the chamber's Republican caucus, might bend in the direction of a Hillary nomination just sparked more breathless speculation.

There was just one problem with the boomlet in Hillary talk: It wasn't true. Within a few hours of Hatch's appearance, White House spokesman Tommy Vietor  told Politico's Ben Smith that "the president thinks Secretary Clinton is doing an excellent job as secretary of state and wants her to remain in that position."

Still, there's no sign the rampant speculation will let up until Obama makes an official announcement of a nominee. At this rate, we can expect a lawmaker at any moment to come forth with the news that First Lady Michelle Obama has made it onto the short list.

[TAB]

um, how dumb would you have to be to think that rummor is true?

she is much more useful to obama in the senate then she is in the SCOUS.   Not to mention the fact that she is not exactly liked by the senate, you know the group that has to confrim her...

[Pathfinder]

um, how dumb would you have to be to think that rummor is true?

she is much more useful to obama in the senate then she is in the SCOUS.   Not to mention the fact that she is not exactly liked by the senate, you know the group that has to confrim her...

Uh, TAB-o, she is the current Sect'y of State, hasn't been in the Senate for over a year.

[twyacht]

Never happen.

Although, at this point she has more balls than our Sec Def... and would probably make a better POTUS.....

Like the Metallica Song,....

Sad But True.