He may have dubbed Flight 1549 the "Miracle on the Hudson" but the real miracle would be for Governor Paterson to just tell us his Senate pick now and put us out of our guessing misery. According to the NY Times, Paterson says he'll make his choice by Saturday.
The governor has been telling the press one thing—like how he's made up his mind—but then continued to interview candidates. Yesterday, while in DC for Barack Obama's inauguration, Paterson first told reporters how he had pretty much made up his mind, only to say later in an interview with Katie Couric, "I'm not totally sure who I'm going to appoint yet." He also joked, "Katie, if I make a decision at 3:00 in the morning, since I can't call Hillary Clinton anymore, I'll call you."
So far, the front runners seem to be Caroline Kennedy—the political dynasty scion with no experience—and Attorney General Cuomo—who wants the job but his AG position would then be filled by Sheldon Silver— though names like Reps. Carolyn Maloney, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Steve Israel, Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown are in the mix, too. As for whether Senator Ted Kennedy's frail condition might affect Paterson's decision, a friend told the TImes, "It might pull at his heart strings in terms of Caroline. It just might."
