Chief Justice O'Connor?

So it seems with all the speculations in Washington on whether or not Rehnquist will step down, and how Bush is going to stack the court for years to come with conservative judges, the angle is being played that if he does step down for health reasons, that O’Connor should be nominated for the Chief Justice position. The New York Times reports that a conversation was had between some senators and Justice O’Connor on the very subject and that she said she was “flattered” and that she didn’t say no. I find it an interesting move, as she’s been lauded by both sides since her resignation, and find it hard to believe that Bush would be able o escape public opinion on the matter. If she were nominated, it would be a slam dunk conformation, and if she wasn’t nominated, the Republicans would be painted in a light that perhaps the dems could pull more seats in Congress in ‘06. I wonder what pressure there is now on Rehnquist to stick it out as long as possible, when just days before the hope was that he’d step down?