Chuck Todd on Ingraham Show: Napolitano Would Step Down -- When Obama Named Her to the Supreme Court

NBC White House correspondent Chuck Todd surprised Laura Ingraham on her radio show December 14 when she asked him which Cabinet official would leave next. He said it could be Tim Geithner, or it could be Janet Napolitano — so she can take the next vacancy on the Supreme Court!

That idea might have fizzled in the last few days, although Todd insisted Obama's "a big fan of hers." Here's how the conversation unfolded:  

TODD: The other one I would bet on is Janet Napolitano –

INGRAHAM (with sarcasm): She’s been effective.

TODD: And not a negative. On a – at the next Supreme Court opening, I betcha she gets the call.

INGRAHAM: (Pause, then a low voice) Oh wait a sec. I just lost my breath. What did you say?

TODD: Sorry. I know. Sorry. I’m just sayin’ --

INGRAHAM: Janet Napolitano?

TODD: You asked me to bet. You asked me to bet. I would say this. She’ll get the next opening.

INGRAHAM (amazed): Why?

TODD: Personally, he likes her probably more than any other cabinet secretary outside of [Robert] Gates on a personal comfort zone. She almost got it the last time. I think, you know, he's determined to put somebody who's actually run for elective office on the Supreme Court. You know, we're in the first Supreme Court, I think in a hundred years, that hasn't had somebody with elective office experience at any point in time. He's talked about wanting that as a criteria....He's a big fan of hers.

Here's another sentence you can bet won't hold water. Todd claimed "Republicans like the way she’s running Homeland Security."

Audio is still posted at Laura's redesigned new website under "Audio Corner." This exchange happens at about midway, at about 3:20.  (I'm a big fan of hers.) This post revisited an earlier blog I did for my smart and funny friends at the NRO Media Blog a few days ago.