Does Steve Ballmer Have A Diabolical Plan?

So maybe Steve Ballmer isn't an idiot after all.

A fascinating NyPo story has Ballmer playing Icahn, so that Icahn plays Yahoo!. Since Icahn doesn't really have a clue, according to NyPo, about the internet, Ballmer is instigating Icahn to make bids he knows that Yahoo! will reject. Hmmm, so that's where that idea of making Yang "Chief Yahoo!" came from.

The ultimate plan is Ballmer using Icahn to destroy Yahoo! or to drive the stock price down, so that he can buy it on the cheap.

On the other hand, the story has a decided, Yahoo! spin to it. Maybe it's Yahoo! playing NyPo reporters?

Microsoft Seeks Partners For a New Run at Yahoo

Steve Ballmer is still searchng for away to grab Yahoo search, which should be all good with Yahoo shareholder, Carl Icahn. WSJ is reporting:

Microsoft Corp., positioning itself for a new run for Yahoo Inc.'s search business, has approached other media companies in recent days about joining it in a deal that would effectively lead to Yahoo's breakup, say people familiar with the discussions.

Microsoft has held discussions with Time Warner Inc. and News Corp., among others, say people involved in the talks. In the past, Microsoft has floated an arrangement under which it would acquire Yahoo's search business and another partner, such as News Corp.'s MySpace or Time Warner's AOL, would combine forces with what remained of Yahoo.