Helen Thomas moves back

A pig in the sky? A snowball in hell? Helen Thomas in the second row? It could happen, according to Politico.com, which reports today that the musical chairs in the White House press room renovation will result in Thomas' move -- to make room for a cable channel. It's a sign, Politico says, of "Washington's changing pecking order, and of the new ways that Americans get their news." The venerable Thomas, a Broadsheet idol, was gracious about the expected change. "I've had a good run in the front seat," she said in a phone interview. A member of the White House Correspondents Association, which traditionally draws up the seating charts, noted that Thomas remains the only columnist with a designated chair in the briefing room; while Thomas' seat may have moved, the correspondent said, "Her special place in history is secure."