More evidence of the irrelevance of mainstream media comes this morning from NPR’s Ace Legal Affairs Reporter Nina Totenberg. Talking with Scott Simon on Weekend Edition, Totenberg had this to say about Sandra Day O’Connor’s impending retirement: “Nobody knew it was coming.”

Really? That will come as news to William Kristol at The Weekly Standard (“O’Connor, Not Rehnquist?“) and the folks at RedState. It’s been all over the blogs for about a week now. When we heard it in the car this morning, my wife just about busted a gut laughing. She reads the blogs.

Granted, a lot of this was speculation, but to describe O’Connor’s departure as a surprise is pushing it. Nina needs some new sources.