An ABC spokeswoman said Jennings, who rushed down to Little Rock last year to cover the opening of Bill Clinton's presidential library, "may be" in Rome in time for live coverage of the pontiff's funeral later this week.

ABC sent B-listers George Stephanopoulos and Cokie Roberts instead.

CBS is likewise keeping its newly crowned anchorman, Bob Schieffer, home - an ironic move, since for all his faults, the man he replaced, Dan Rather, would have been on a plane to Rome in a heartbeat.

Only NBC sent its top dog, Brian Williams, to cover the story.

But, as the Post noted, if Williams hadn't gone, NBC viewers would have been subjected to the spectacle of having perhaps the biggest story of the year covered by lightweight Matt Lauer, whom Williams rushed in to replace.

Editor's note: