We heard rumblings recently that the partnership between NBC Universal and Microsoft, which begat MSNBC.com seventeen years ago, was on shaky ground, and today NBC News revealed that it’s in negotiations to buy Microsoft’s portion of the website. An NBC News spokeswoman said today that “conversations are taking place” but “there is no deal,” while Microsoft declined to comment. The split would clear the way for the cable network to pursue its dream of creating a website that matches its left-leaning tone. Somebody should probably take Joe Scarborough out for ice cream and explain this isn’t his fault.