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As we said Wednesday, ever since the Eliot Spitzer hookergate shocker, New Yorkers are still suffering from a little Post Traumatic Sex Scandal Disorder. So it's no wonder we were ready to believe the worst when rumors swirled about a "bombshell" New York Times article that would supposedly derail our current governor. Appearing on Larry King's show last night, Governor Paterson made the same point, all but blaming the past week's craziness on Spitzer's scandal. "I think people have still a sort of sensitivity to that, to the point that people would tend to believe anything they hear these days," Paterson said. "I think that's victimized me."
In his latest round of defiant interviews, Paterson also intimated that they're after them. But who are they? Paterson would not say. "I would just say that like any human being that's being attacked, you have a pretty good idea of who's doing it and why they're doing it," Paterson said on WOR's "The John Gambling Show." On King's show, the Governor called upon the Times to publish its profile if only "so I could be out of my misery."
The human decency, if not journalists' ethics, I think would compel an organization when they see a person being slandered for over two weeks now ... to clear the air and at least say that the charges that are being made are not in the perimeters of our investigation.
Paterson spurned King's offer to once again deny the rumors of sex and drugs, saying, "I don't want to do that and I'll tell you why. Because I've already denied these charges in several media outlets and I think every time I even address the charges I give them momentum. There's no source!" At this point, King interrupted Paterson to cite the Post's story, "sourced" from someone at the state police, that Paterson was discovered embracing a woman in a utility closet at the Executive Mansion. Once again, Paterson denied that there are such closets in the mansion, but look out—the Post insists they're there!
Two sources told The Post's Fred Dicker that there are several closets in the 39-room mansion. "There's one just to the right of the elevator on the first floor, and I think on the second floor as well," one state employee said. Speaking of closets and the Post, check out cartoonist Sean Delonas's (he of Obama/monkey fame) latest opus:
The seeing eye dog enjoying his post-coital smoke is a classy touch. (Yesterday Daily Intel's Chris Smith noted that Paterson was "buried in speculation that he was involved in everything short of bestiality," so now we can finally cross that one off the list!) Speaking at a town hall meeting in Far Rockaway, Queens yesterday, Paterson told the audience, "There once was a time when rumors had to have two sources before they could be printed in a newspaper, and the word unsubstantiated meant that it didn't get printed, now it means they put it on the front page. Well they can do that all they want, but this time they are messing with the wrong hombre."
Former mayor Ed Koch threw his support behind Paterson yesterday, telling NBC he plans to vote for Paterson. Asked why, Kock replied, "Because I feel very sorry for him. He's not been treated decently." And even Jimmy Kimmel piled on last night, with a pretty funny riff on the Paterson rumor circus:
