Is Rehnquist In or Out?

There is much speculation that Chief Justice William Rehnquist will retire at the end of the court's session, which should be any day now. I saw a piece the other day that suggested that Rehnquist might stay, but given his health situation and the importance of the job, I would hope he'd make the decision based on what's best for the court and the country.

Political Diary has some thoughts on what might happen should Rehnquist announce his retirement:

POTUS Is Primed for a SCOTUS Vacancy

No one in the White House is saying if there will be a Supreme Court vacancy when the high court adjourns for the summer on June 27th. But the informed speculation is that if Chief Justice William Rehnquist intends to retire, the likelihood is that he has already alerted President Bush and that the White House has already settled on a candidate. Warren Burger, Mr. Rehnquist's predecessor, followed the same course of action when he planned his retirement in 1986.

What is known is the White House's game plan once a vacancy has been announced: The president's selection of a replacement will be named within 24 hours, even if that means the news falls on a weekend. "We don't want a lot of speculation and lobbying," one White House aide told me. "If there is a nominee, we want to hit the ground running with [his or her] story before the left launches its attack ads."

I hope this is exactly what's going on at the White House right now. No matter who is nominated, there will be a big fight and hopefully the White House will stay out in front of the process and not let the media or the Dems dictate how and when things are going to get done.