Obama seems determined to "out" Curmudgeon?

About a bajillion possible replacements have been suggested for retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens so far. Most of these, like Stevens, are from Chicago -- or at least have a strong Chicago connection.

In no particular order, this ever-growing list includes, but is by no means limited to:

• Seventh Circuit Judge Diane P. Wood;
• Solicitor General Elena Kagan (who used to teach at the University of Chicago Law School);
• D.C. Court of Appeals Judge Merrick Garland (raised in suburban Lincolnwood);
• Harvard Law School Dean Martha Minow (a 1972 New Trier High School graduate and the daughter of former FCC Chaimrman Newton "Television is a Vast Wasteland" Minow);
• Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan; and
  
• Judge Reuben Castillo of the Northern District of Illinois.

This morning another Seventh Circuit Judge, Ann C. Williams, was reportedly added to the mix.

I can see what's happening here.

Granted, there are a few thousand... OK, a few tens of thousands... more qualified in between those named and myself. But, if present trends continue, it looks like every lawyer in Chicago will soon be named as a possibility except me. And then, by process of elimination, I will have been "outed" by President Obama.

Of course, maybe I'm being paranoid. Again.

I have been getting calls at home now for about a week from a Washington, D.C. number. I've assumed it was a sales call, so I haven't picked up. And, so far, the caller hasn't left a message.

Anyway, Mr. President, if it's you that's calling, please leave a message. I'll call right back. I promise.