Earlier this week, analysts began calling for General Electric (NYSE: GE) to dump underperforming NBC Universal. Now, predictably, others are pointing to Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) as a candidate to buy.

Their reasoning has substance. With the purchase of YouTube, Google has the platform on which to leverage NBC's entertainment vault. This would also allow it to expand the package of ad placements it could offer to venues beyond cable, print, and internet, another step in its quest to offer one-stop shopping to advertisers.

Those encouraging GE to sell are convinced that the size and fragmentation of the company works against stock value by making it harder for stockholders to understand and evaluate.

John Battelle is among the first to speak out against the idea. He points out that Google has carved out its empire as the intermediary in transactions, and changing from a service provider to a content developer could damage the dynamics of the company.

I tend to side with John in this issue. I don't see the need or benefit for Google to take on all the baggage (i.e., risk) of NBC just for the access to entertainment. With its war chest, Google should be able to outspend rivals to buy the shows it needs, letting others worry about amusement parks and drunken cast member phone calls home. Having a sweet tooth is no reason to buy a cane plantation.