Belated Rather Roundup

•They'd rather: Tim Russert? Matt Lauer? Sheppard Smith? Omg, so best: Chris Matthews. Possible replacements for the Dan [ Newsweek , Bloomberg ]

•BREAKING! "Bloggers Force Retirement of 73-Year-Old Newsman" [ Scrappleface ]

•"He added that a Bob Dylan lyric had been rattling around his head for the last few days that 'he not busy being born is busy dying.'" [ NYT via Gawker ]

•Fact-checking their asses: "To the likely dismay of his many jammy-clad detractors, Rather, unlike Tom Brokaw, is hardly headed for the rolling green pasture where old news anchors go to die." [ Slate ]

•And the White House weighs in: "Q. Do those viewers include the President? MS. BUCHAN: Any other questions? (Laughter.)" [ WhiteHouse.gov via Press Gaggle ]