Before Palin's big night, one prophesier, predicting the tenor of the evening to come, said to Andrea Mitchell, "I don't think you'll see her going after Obama.
And then remember, as the commission pointed out in its 571-page report, that even Richard Clarke, the self-styled prophesier of doom in the Clinton and Bush administrations, fell far short when he dared Condoleezza Rice to imagine an attack that might kill "hundreds" of Americans, not thousands.
If student life is constantly portrayed as being some kind of hell on earth, where most students are depressed with no one to help them, this creates a self-fulfilling prophesy making students feel worse and reluctant to seek help.
But it's Mitchell, already fragile from the Box Tunnel 20 and Lia's prophesy, that looks set to be pushed over the edge completely by his old mentor's return.
Over the past half century, Moore's Law has held up remarkably well though nowadays it is more an industry target than a prophesy, and therefore a self-fulfilling one at that.
But judging from past events, it seems to me that those who want to prophesy the imminent end of America's unique global role have a harder case to make than those who think we will limp on for a while, making a mess of things as usual.DIA: In the book, you say that Protestantism encouraged capitalism, leading to dynamic, open societies in both Britain and America, which allowed them to thrive.
Now it appears to be taking China's part.These prophesies are "self-denying", according to Larry Summers, a former economic adviser to President Barack Obama.
(Some senior Tories prophesy that theirs will be the most unpopular administration in history after six months).
The City is echoing with bankers prophesying an exodus: of shipping tycoons to Athens and private-equity partners to Geneva.
Ubiquitous cyber-gurus, framed by colourful PowerPoint presentations reminiscent of stained glass, prophesied a digital land in which growth would be limitless, commerce frictionless and democracy direct.
Yet, as a racist bombing at a Moscow market last month and a near-pogrom against Caucasians in a northern town this week both suggest, Russians are ill-disposed towards the new immigrants their economy increasingly needs.Some, including Mr Putin, have gone so far as to prophesy the death of the nation itself.
