George Stephanopoulos reports this afternoon that Vicki Kennedy is out of the picture as far as replacing her husband on a short-term or long-term basis.

The trial balloon launched yesterday by Kennedy friends Chris Dodd and Orrin Hatch isn't going anywhere. A solid source assures me that Vicki Kennedy won't run in a special election to fill the Massachusetts Senate seat. She's not interested in an interim appointment if it becomes available.

Gov. Deval Patrick (D-Mass.) is set to make an announcement in about an hour about when a special election will be held. No word yet on whether the push for a temporary appointment will continue.