John Paul Stevens to retire?

It's a rumor at this point, but one that has been gathering steam as of late. From RedState.org:

Third party sources are now telling me that the John Paul Stevens rumor is true and that the White House is now planning for a third vacancy, but not until the end of the year. Third party sources, who I treat as credible, say that Stevens has begun taking actions in his personal life to make arrangements for personal affairs. It is presumed that Stevens is taking steps to retire. A separate third party source tells me that Ginsberg is not expected to retire, as her health is fine. Stevens has reportedly sent signals that he will retire once replacements for both O'Connor and Rehnquist have been confirmed.

Take it for what it's worth. The uber-liberal Stevens is no spring chicken, but my guess (and that's all it is) is that Stevens wants to see his replacements to see if they're ideological conservatives. If they both are, there will be continued 5-4 rulings (if not 6-3 rulings to the right). With old age and failing health, why stick around for that?

If this rumor becomes reality, it's safe to say that Christmas will come quite early for libertarians and conservatives all! :)