Well I had tooooooooo many fiances and the problem was I never welshed. You know the Welsh. Gopn back on promises for a couple thousand years...but I digress.

It has become an industry. My last one demanded a seven thousand dollar ring when I had picked out one for four thousand.

Somebody has to regulate all this.

Yes, the Guiliani v. Paterson numbers were terrifying.

Still it doesn't seem to me Paterson could beat Cuomo in the primaries. Or maybe I'm wrong there. Cuomo's been doing penance and I know I've forgiven him, but his reputation as a hothead prick may be a little harder than that to live down.

Dunno. And I don't think any of us do. This has the scent of a rather more involved story than we're getting. Unless it's simply payback for Paterson sending Gilibrand on along to Congress after expressly promising that's not what he was going to do. She managed to carry a very Republican district and that's a Hoise seat that's probably going to be lost now.

Oh I'd love to see Obama play a role as head of the Democratic party. I'd just prefer it was over the Blue Dogs of Congress. In that case he's all hands off, but he's not above kicking a guy when he's down even when it is way out of his zone of authority. No one wants Paterson to run for reelection. The difference is most folks have the discretion not to splash it on the front page of the NYT. This us unheard of interference for a president. And an unnecessary distraction for both Obama and Paterson. Grrr.

Gasket, I doubt there's any Paterson or ACORN scandal. But I fear Governor Giuliani too. Even if Cuomo is our nominee it will be a tough race. I am sure Paterson has been looking at his numbers and questioning whether he will run. I am sure back channel convos have been had by the Gov & prominent NYS & national Dems. I have no problems with the Admin making a suggestion behind the scenes that Paterson is unlikely to win and asking that he strongly consider not running. I just can't believe they were politically dense enough to think airing the party's dirty laundry in public would benefit anybody.

Hi CT & Pete :) Like I said above, I think encouraging Paterson not to run is a good thing. I just don't think the President should be leading making that argument. And I totally see the Rahm influence on this going public. Subtlety is not his strong suit.

Funny Desi :) I don't necessarily disagree with the message, just the messenger and the method of delivery.

That said, I see some parallels between the hyperventilating of the Obama admin about a primary for the Gov of NY and the calls for Hillary to exit the race before Obama won the nomination. Last time I checked this was a democracy and the voters should make their own choices for who represents them, not have those decisions made by the party machine.

Where do I begin? Your blathering has no basis in reality:

1. Paterson is unpopular. No duh. Doesn't take a genius to figure that out. He faces pressure already within the NY Democratic arty. If he is still unpopular and he decides to take a kamikaze run, he will lose a primary badly.

2. Paterson just endorsed the Democratic candidate for mayor, Bill Thompson against the sitting Republican mayor Bloomberg. Even after that, Bloomberg's response to Obama's public pressure for Paterson to step aside was supportive of Paterson and also Cuomo.

3. Find me an example of another president who publicly pressured a sitting Governor of his party not to run for election not due to criminal investigation or scandal. My sweet Hillary loving eyes found nada. And I actually looked. Obama's using the bully pulpit to be a bully, not a leader here. If he wants to try to be a leader of the dem party he might start with health care and EFCA and cap and trade and civil liberties. The Gov of NYS is pretty small potatoes in comparison.

4. New Yorkers asked Hillary to run, not the other way around. So she didn't insert herself into NYS politics, she was invited. And thanks to her, we didn't have a Senator Giuliani. Who asked Obama for his opinion about our Senator or Governor? NYers like making their own decisions and don't like being told what to do.

5. Where the fuck have I been? I've been in New York and I don't take kindly to ignorant asshats like you presuming that you (or the President) know what is better for my state than New Yorkers do.