Yep, frequently spin is coded as prediction. Many of the politicians and pundits who went on TV and predicted that there won't be health reform, did so to kill the bill. Obama went on the same TV and said the opposite, and was spinning too. These kind of spin, coded as predictions, have the intent to affect outcome. But sometimes people actually do try to predict. Their motivation is to test their knowledge of the situation and their skill in the art of guessing correctly. It is not always easy to tell the difference. I don't suppose it would do any good for me to tell you that with me it's always the latter.