WASHINGTON, DC – ABC News’ “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” has been without a permanent host since Stephanopolous’ ascension to “Good Morning America” in December. The search for a new host has focused mainly on Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper, and “Nightline” co-anchor Terry Moran.

Many media observers have wondered why ABC is taking so long to name a new “This Week” host, instead relying on a rotation of guest hosts. They question the wisdom of delaying the eventual host’s chance to build an audience, and the drawing power of the guest hosts. Upcoming fill-ins include Australian sensation Yahoo Serious and former American Idol contestant Corey Clark, whom Stephanopoulos says are “also worthy candidates.”

Unfortunately, the end is nowhere in sight. Apoliticus has learned that ABC News is considering scrapping their current search. According to an internal memo we’ve obtained, the network is considering a laundry list of new selection processes. Some excerpts:

Bum Racing – Kudos to Charlie Gibson for this idea. We pin the name of each candidate to a corresponding bum, and have them do a 2k race. Winner gets a box lunch. It’s simple and cost-effective.

Flash Mobs – One solution would be not to have a permanent host, but rather, to organize weekly flash mobs to host the show. The drawback is that they can seem rehearsed, but they are attention-getting, and work fairly cheaply.

Ninja Training Academy – This has long been the method of choice for sitcom producers to find new on-air talent. Some have pointed out that the show is already crawling with ninjas, but since none of them have stepped up yet, this remains a viable option.

Pon Farr – We’ve got Legal working out the details, but George is on board with this one. Two challengers fight to the death using a variety of weapons, surrounded by colorfully costumed men with giant tambourines. The visuals really pop, and it would make a great prime-time special for sweeps.I know a lot of you liked Jake’s idea of a “Running Man” contest, but there’s no point in doing that without Richard Dawson, and he won’t do it because he thinks he should be the new host.

“Lost” Ending – I got this idea from Damon over drinks last night. We do a show where it turns out the whole thing was a dream, and George is still the host.

When shown the memo, Jake Tapper reportedly said “I can take Moran in Pon Farr. He can’t hold his plomeek soup.”