Yesterday, NBC News political director Chuck Todd anchored an hour of daytime programming for MSNBC. He also told colleagues he's going to anchor an hour a day during the network's convention coverage, newsroom sources tell us.

Know what Todd's colleague David Gregory said to his colleagues? That Todd is "gunning" to be the host of Meet The Press — a gig Gregory is said to desperately want for himself.

Too bad our informants say common opinion under the 30 Rock umbrella reveals few staffers want either of 'em to get the gig.

The candidate everybody is pining for? A certain presidential debate moderator.

When Tim Russert died in June, leaving the Meet The Press chair open, we quickly weighed in with the most likely candidates to take over. (Brian Williams filled in one week, and Tom Brokaw is manning the chair through the election.)

On that list was Washington Week host Gwen Ifill, the former NBC staffer who's been at PBS since 1999. But given everything we'd been hearing, it seemed unlikely Ifill would be named to the spot, for, among other reasons, the simple fact that she's a woman. (Our well-informed sources' words, not ours.)

But inside NBC, Ifill is the great hope for staffers. As one source describes the climate, Ifill is "well liked, knows politics, and is a terrific broadcaster"; Gregory and Todd can only claim two out of the three (and you can probably guess which two applies to either of them).

Does this mean Ifill is headed to MTP? Not quite. But would NBC staffers be overjoyed if she was offered the job? Absolutely.