>UPDATE: Politico's Mike Allen hears what Danny Shea is hearing, adding another layer of credibility to the Gregory story. ("Enjoying a gravitas boost from his prematurely salt-and-pepper mane and friendships with Tom Brokaw and other of the legendary figures of NBC News, Gregory quickly became one of the biggest network stars of his generation. ... Betsy Fischer, one of Washington’s most respected behind-the-scenes network forces, will remain as executive producer, the executives said. The executives provided elliptical information that did not either raise or preclude the possibility that a supporting cast could be named along with Gregory.")

Last night, the Huffington Post's Danny Shea reported: "David Gregory will take the reins as moderator of NBC's 'Meet the Press,' the Huffington Post has learned."

We're hearing that nothing's final (trial balloon?!?), but Shea may very well be proven right. (Gregory's agent wouldn't confirm or deny anything when asked by the Observer and the New York Times wrote: "NBC executives said Monday night that no announcement of the replacement for the late Tim Russert is planned for Tuesday, though the executives did not deny that Mr. Gregory may be named to the position at some point.")

(We expect the official announcement to be made on this Sunday's "Meet the Press.")

What do you think?

Still, there are 1,800 comments to Shea's article on Huffington Post. You'll notice that most of the reaction to the notion of Gregory as "Meet" host is negative (see our own Pete Sampras theory about Gregory) and lots wanted Rachel Maddow. (Don't worry, David: Jessi Klein has a crush on you). This is notable because, while some Internet commenters can certainly be harsh and crude at times, Huffington Post is a liberal site and Gregory became a hero of the left during his sharp questioning of George W. Bush's press secretaries.

Some of the more notable, after the jump...

You'll notice that most of the reaction to the notion of Gregory as "Meet" host is negative. This is notable because, while some Internet commenters can certainly be harsh and crude at times, Huffington Post is a liberal site and Gregory became a hero of the left during his sharp questioning of George W. Bush's press secretaries.