NON-STORY OF THE DAY: While Josh Marshall intones, ominously, that "There will be an announcement this afternoon ... that will -- temporarily at least -- shake up the Democratic presidential race," the non-story has already hit the wire services:

Sen. John Kerry was diagnosed with prostate cancer on Christmas Eve. His nascent Presidential campaign will be suspended for about two weeks while he undergoes surgery and aftercare treatment. The expectation is that he'll be "back at work" in a couple of weeks.

Why this turn of events should in any way shake up the race, I haven't the foggiest. If anything, Kerry should now be seen as the stronger, healthier candidate among his peer group of aging political hacks and opportunists. While the rest of the Democratic field is running around with prostates that might explode at any moment, Kerry is now statistically the least likely to succumb to prostate cancer while in office.

What I'm still waiting to hear from Kerry's spokespeople is a satisfactory rationale for his candidacy, regardless.