Spin Cycle

Gov. Paterson, whose self-regard for his jokes, repartee and purported wit and desire to make himself a constant focus of attention are so far the most outstanding characteristics of his accidental governorship, now goes on the radio to share his thoughts on the pluses and minuses of Caroline Kennedy, via the Daily Politics:

"Caroline Kennedy obviously does have a tremendous relationship with the president and that’s certainly a plus. She does not have much political, I mean legislative, experience which is a minus…She has pluses and minuses.”

He also calls her "demure" and "shy" and "reserved," and lays out something resembling a timetable, after a month of diddling and musing, with Hillary Clinton's confirmation hearing set for next week:

"I told her (Kennedy) right after the State of the State Address, which I gave yesterday, that I’ll get together and sit down and talk to her along with a couple of other candidates. I’ve talked to about 10. They’re about 4 or 5 more that I’m hoping to get to in the next week. And then I’ll make a decision on who’s the best candidate."

Well, la-de-da. Paterson could have made this decision a month ago if not for his desire to milk it for attention and national exposure, and in the process give the next Senator less time to prepare and less capacity to be effective for New Yorkers.

For a guy who accomplished ... what? ... during a couple decades of occupying a Harlem seat his Dad gave him, and has accomplished .... what? ...... so far as governor, and just gave a State of the State speech with a record pomposity-to-vacuousness ratio, it seems tacky and classless for him to be publicly musing about the personality characteristics of job applicants.

Is Mr Chatty Gov going to give us capsule summaries on everyone? Is Andrew Cuomo shy and demure, or something else? How reserved is Steve Israel? Don't you think he's a little pushy? Has Paterson been ordained some brilliant arbiter of optimal Senatorial characteristics and all around font-of-wisdom just because Eliot Spitzer went to see a prostitute?

Here's an idea: Why doesn't he just act like a governor, and decide?