Rosie O’Donnell (second from left) with The View co-hosts, from left, Barbara Walters, Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck. O’Donnell announced Wednesday that she is leaving the show.

AP / HEIDI GUTMAN

To: All of us here at The View.

From: Barbara Walters, executive producer.

First of all, we are very sad to see Rosie go. (Incidentally, I hope you will all sign the card going around.) And while our hearts are heavy, we obviously need to think about the future. Below is a preliminary list of potential replacements. It is designed to get us all brainstorming about how we can keep our momentum going!

• Laurie David: The WOD (wife of Larry David) is a natural, having become a terror on the terrors of global warming. Why, if Laurie were on The View, she could have been dishing this week about her brief encounter at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner last weekend, when she and fellow activist Sheryl Crow cornered Karl Rove on, you know, how dire GW (global warming) is.

As George Costanza once said on Seinfeld: “That’s a show.”

Follow-up: Can we make set out of totally recyclable products?

• Courtney Love: Not sure whether she’s due in court anytime soon, but Love is more than capable of starting public feuds a la Rosie-Trump. Also, that troubling day Danny showed up half-drunk to plug his movie Deck the Halls? Love would have been able to translate for us.

Follow-up: Make offer, but keep on 10-day contracts.

• Katie Couric: She’s not only an exceptional journalist, she’s a personal friend. And as she told me the other night, she feels very empowered by this whole difficult experience as anchor of The CBS Evening News (yeah, anchor as in bottom-of-the-ocean sense! I thought. Sorry, couldn’t resist). Anyway, Katie asked if we might speak frankly, and confessed that The View might be just the transition she’s looking for after the ’08 elections. I must say I quite agree. For one thing, she hasn’t been on ABC. Also, and as I told her, here she can feel free to speak freely (about Iran, her love life, whatever!). On The View, there are no “stories,” only anecdotes!

Follow-up: Offer to take on 15-bazillion-dollar contract with CBS.

• Britney Spears: It’s about time The View had someone who could talk about the challenges of life as a stay-at-rehab mom. Also, she might show up on a Monday with weird hair, and that’s probably worth at least two segments. Also, she’s a personal friend.

Follow-up: Pursue if Love not avail.

• lonelygirl15: Otherwise known as Bree, otherwise known as Jessica Lee Rose. My NYU School of Journalism intern suggested her. I’m told she’s quite popular on the World Wide Web. According to my intern, she might have bigger plans now that her World Wide Web drama has become such a hit, but she’s young, attractive, and The View could really use someone who can explain the viral generation to all those moms in the audience. I mean, does Joy even know how to use a computer?

Follow-up: Does anyone have her e-mail?