Chris Matthews, host of "Hardball" on MSNBC, could be our next U.S. Senator. The PA native was on Comedy Central last night where he said, "I wanted to be a Senator." A few weeks back at a social event here in Washington, Matthews told me face to face that he's seriously considering a run, and that he wants Senator Arlen Specter's seat in 2010. Since it was a private conversation, I didn't report it. But after MSNBC replayed clips of Matthews declaring his desire for the Senate seat, I figured it's certainly safe to talk about.

Also today, Senator Specter announced that he has been diagnosed with an early recurrence of Hodgkin’s disease. Hodgkin’s disease is a cancer of the lymph system. It's expected that Specter will continue to perform all the duties of his office as well as activities associated with his candidacy for re-election.