Reuters

With Scott McClellan stepping down, who will replace him at the White House podium?

While the pregnant part of me wants to know more about Tom and Katie's new bundle of joy, aka, TomKitten, the rest of me is focused on Scott McClellan. The White House press secretary that reporters love to hate announced his resignation this morning. And all I can think is, "what now?"

I don't know Scott nearly as well as NPR's dynamic duo of White House reporters, Don Gonyea and David Greene. But I did chat with him on the Bush campaign trail in 2004. Here's what I can report: Off the pressroom podium, Scott is an amiable, all-around nice guy. In fact, most of the Washington types I know are friendly people -- this is politics after all, and being a jerk doesn't get you very far. I also truly believe that most politicians get into the business to do good works, right wrongs and help people.

But Scott McClellan also had the job of being "Washington Jerk No.1." His whole raison d'etre was to obfuscate, squelch, conceal and mask the truths reporters sought. When Scott climbed up to the podium, all we ever got from him was spin, spin, spin. I guess I shouldn't expect anything else from the White House press secretary (and let me clarify that I know lots of Democratic press secretaries who are equally, if not more, obfuscational, if that's a word). I promise you, I harbor no love for the chosen flacks of either party.

But, as a reporter, I believe myself to be a proxy for the American people (perhaps you disagree). So, I find it more than aggravating and morally questionable to be given a line, day after day, in response to legitimate questions about how this country is being run.

Now I wonder who will come next in that job. And will anything change?