1.   Against this backdrop comes informed speculation that Bush is considering at least two Tejanos for the Mexico City post.

2.   But late Wednesday, that speculation came to naught as investigators tried to piece together what happened in the houseboat.

3.   He said the speculation came from what he said at the beginning of the season regarding conversations with team president Bob Harlan and GM Ron Wolf.

4.   So it was probably inevitable that speculation would come up about his political aspirations.

5.   Speculation came to a head last week, when CBS Sports analyst Craig James reported that Donnan would replace Blake.

6.   The speculation comes amid a spate of takeovers in the U.S. securities industry as banks boost their investment banking business.

7.   The speculation comes from inconsistency and the inclination to want to fix it.

8.   The speculation comes amid a spate of mergers in the securities industry this year.

9.   The speculation comes amid a spate of securities firm acquisitions by banks.

10.   The speculation comes amid a rash of mergers in the securities industry this year.