Heard the rumor? Hatch is going to be the next . . .

WASHINGTON — Psssst! Did you hear that U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch is going to be the next U.S. attorney general? Or that Hatch, the Utah Republican, is packing his bags to become the next U.S. Supreme Court justice?

"Those rumors happen at the beginning of each Congress and each new administration," one Senate staffer said, sighing. "It's certainly not the first time he's been rumored for the AG job or the Supreme Court."

But one rumor emerged larger than life Tuesday when Attorney General John Ashcroft resigned — shortly after news reports said Hatch is a front-runner for Ashcroft's job.

Hatch's office released a statement praising Ashcroft's service and saying nothing about who would be the successor.

"Attorney General John Ashcroft has served our country faithfully during one of our most challenging chapters in history," the senator's statement said. "I enjoyed working closely with him. His courage and leadership are second to none."

Commerce Secretary Don Evans, one of President Bush's closest friends, also resigned Tuesday.

Meanwhile, former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, who is Bush's Environmental Protection Agency administrator, is among three high-ranking Bush administration officials who say they would like to remain on the job. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman and Interior Secretary Gale Norton are the other two.

Hatch's staff takes the rumors about their boss in stride. They've heard them all before, and they have seen nothing come of them. And they expect nothing will happen this time, either.

"Never say never, but it is highly unlikely," said one aide.

What appears certain, however, is that Hatch will be stepping down as chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Senate Republican rules limit chairmanships to six years and Hatch's term has run its course.

And that is presenting a different kind of problem for Republicans who want to see President Bush's conservative judicial nominees pushed through their Senate confirmations.

The next senior member on the committee is Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, but he still has two years left on his chairmanship of the Finance Committee, and he has indicated he does not want to give that up.

The next in line is Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., whom President Bush campaigned for during a tough primary contest and a not-so-close general election. Bush even introduced Specter at campaign events as "the next chairman of the Judiciary Committee."

But Specter is anything but conservative, which is a cause of concern to rank-and-file conservatives who were outraged at comments by Specter regarding the nomination of pro-life judges by the Bush administration.