Spin Cycle

One of Gov. Paterson's most endearing characteristics is his ability to go totally off-message at the oddest times, on the oddest things.

In 2006, for example, he gave Jeanine Pirro a clean bill of health on alleged wiretapping when fellow Dem Andrew Cuomo wanted her to twist in the wind. On the day of his inauguration this year, he decided to confess adultery -- and drug use a week or so later. Today, our Albany bureau chief JT Madore files this report:

"Gov. David A. Paterson today described as 'desperation' Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s insistence that she can still win the Democratic presidential nomination.

"Asked on WAMC public radio in Albany about Clinton’s rationale for winning the nomination, Paterson said today, 'at this point we are starting to see a little desperation on the part of the woman who I supported and I’ll support until whatever time she makes a different determination...I thought she was the best candidate and I thought she had the best chance of winning.'

"Paterson also said he opposed the Democratic National Committee’s initial decision not to seat delegates from Florida and Michigan. However, he doubted those primaries would be re-run."

Hillary will be very grateful for that vote of confidence. She was probably even desperate for it.

Update:Actually, there's more. Paterson also discussed Hillary's position that in Michigan -- where Hillary was on the ballot, Obama wasn't, and everyone who was for Obama had to vote for "uncommitted" -- not only should her delegates be seated, but Obama should get zero delegates and credit for zero popular votes.

Paterson: "You have to rule out the undecideds in Michigan. You have to assume she won 100 percent to nothing in Michigan. I don't think anybody in their right mind would do that, nor would they see it as a civil rights issue."

Update 2: He also dumps, more generally, on the effort to re-seat Michigan and Florida: "There was a process. I thought at the time everybody agreed to it. I didn't hear any objections from the candidates...So I would think the Democratic National Committee would leave it where it is."

Audio of Paterson, via TPM, is after the jump.