George Pataki

The top Democratic presidential candidates brought out some of their more powerful symbolic stumpers this weekend. To counter Barack Obama’s breathlessly awaited Oprah event in Iowa, Hillary Clinton campaigned with both her generally press-shy daughter Chelsea and her mother, Dorothy Rodham.

Clinton also sent her husband, who arguably has as much star power as Oprah, to South Carolina. In New Hampshire, the Clinton team dispatched the former secretary of the Navy to deliver a speech in Portsmouth.

The New York Times Magazine published a long profile exploring Hillary’s sometimes opaque emotional landscape, while the Washington Post considered her early life.

In a column this morning, Dan Balz wrote of the Clinton candidacy, "all talk of inevitability is gone," and added that no one knows this better than the candidate herself.  read more »

After hisa press conference on Rudy Giuliani and the presidential race in midtown yesterday, I asked former congressman and Staten Island Borough President Guy Molinari about the Republican Party here in New York.

“We are struggling for survival--that’s how serious it is,” he told me.

To save it, it’s going to take “strong leadership, people that have access to money. Money is necessary to rebuild the party to where it was, and good candidates. So a lot of recruiting has to go into the future. And it can be brought back.”

But Molinari isn’t too excited about John Catsimatidis, a late addition to the Republican Party and likely 2009 mayoral candidate.

(After the jump.)  read more »

This has a déjà vu quality to it.

On Sunday, there was a story in the Albany Times Union about Joe Bruno’s use of state aircraft. And just a few minutes ago, state Democratic Party Chairwoman June O’Neill issued a statement saying that she is “extremely troubled” by the “gross abuse of the public trust” and demanding “further investigation.”

“We now know that for years Senator Bruno has misused state police aircraft for political fundraising and meetings with special interests seeking the Senator’s assistance,” O’Neill said in a statement.

It’s sort of what happened a few months ago at the start of the Troopergate controversy.

The difference is that the itineraries of Bruno’s travel on which Sunday’s story was based were compiled while George Pataki, a Republican, was governor.

I wonder whether any Republicans will join O’Neill in calling for an investigation into that.

Michael Bloomberg is doing robo-calls for Republican Assembly candidate Greg Camp, who is running in a special election tomorrow against Democrat Micah Kellner.

Below is a script of the call that voters on the East Side have been receiving all week, according to Camp’s campaign.

“Hi, this is Mayor Mike Bloomberg. There’s an important election in your community this Tuesday, June fifth. And I’m calling to tell you about my choice in the race, Greg Camp. Greg Camp has superb qualifications to represent you in the state Assembly. He’s been a banker, a long-time prosecutor in the Manhattan DA’s office and he was Deputy Director of Criminal Justice for New York State. But most of all, Greg Camp is independent, and that’s what I like best about him. I’m supporting Greg Camp this Tuesday, June 5th and I ask that you do too. Thank you.”

Camp’s endorsement from Bloomberg, like his endorsement from the New York Times, will certainly help him in this district.

Speaking of which, note that there’s no mention of the words “Republican” or “Pataki” anywhere in Bloomberg’s message.

Here's a shot of some of the people biding their time at the Sheraton in midtown as they wait for New York GOP chairman Joe Mondello and most of the state party to announce their endorsement of Rudy Giuliani for President.

Republicans notably, and deliberately, steering clear of today's festivities include Mike Bloomberg, Al D'Amato, George Pataki and former state chair Stephen Minarik aren't particpating.

But who's counting?

Emily Pataki, daughter of the former governor, passed the Bar exam, her family announced today.

Emily came up a bit short on her first try. After the announcement, George Pataki told the AP, “Once she set her mind to it, I had no doubt she would pass.”

Congratulations.

One of the last George Pataki holdovers in the Spitzer administration has been replaced by someone from within the Democratic ranks.

Karen Paikin, who was Pataki’s Jewish liaison and was toiling away for Governor Spitzer was replaced today by Ross Wallenstein, an aide to Rep. Gary Ackerman of Queens and Nassau.
 
Somebody with more information about the capitol’s second floor might be able to confirm if Paikin gets the longest-holdover title. Either way, it’s just one example of Spitzer’s employee recruiting operation.

Wallenstein’s email announcing his move is after the jump.

Eliot Spitzer’s plan to introduce a bill legalizing same-sex marriage later today may not become law. But it may succeed, for the first time, in getting many state legislators to stake out clear, yes-or-no positions on the issue.

“You had a governor, under Pataki, it wasn’t even discussed,” said Assemblywoman Joan Millman of Brooklyn. “Now you have a governor that is openly supporting it. But it’s still going to be a long haul.”

The opposition to same-sex marriage -- or at least the reluctance to address it -- isn't just in the Republican-led state Senate.

I asked Millman, who has been in the Assembly for 10 years, if she knew where Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver stood on the issue.

“No, I don’t," she said. "I know he’s been quoted as saying he wants to see where his conference is on this. And I think the conference is going to be all over the lot because some people are very conservative or represent very conservative districts.”

Millman, who supports same-sex marriage, isn't optimistic. “It’s going to be a real sticking point. I don’t know if it’s going to be something that gets through this session,” she said.  read more »

A reader in the city emailed to say the spotted former Governors George Pataki and Bill Weld having lunch together today at the Harvard Club.

In case you were wondering what they're up to.

-- Azi Paybarah

Bill Clinton will be in Westchester this weekend.

In electing Tom DiNapoli, the legislature treated Governor Spitzer the same way they treated Governor Pataki.

DiNapoli's 53rd birthday is on Saturday.

The New York Times, Post and Daily News editorial boards all denounce the legislature.

A rookie Assemblyman who tried complaining about DiNapoli's election was booed.

The state GOP is in bad shape.

At least $100 per vote was spent in Tuesday's special election in Nassau.

Mike Bloomberg said the public advocate and some critics on the City Council "have no experience in doing anything".

Some city officials are eyeing their next race.

Spitzer re-appointed Judith Kaye to another two years on the bench.

Errol Louis says more needs to be done to clean up the bench.

Hillary Clinton has taken a sharp turn to the left on Iraq, says the Wall Street Journal editorial board [subscription]

The New Republic is still debating whether Israel should preemptively attack Iran.

And a neighbor of John Edwards is a big Rudy Giuliani fan.

-- Azi Paybarah

Here's one thing that doesn't seem to have changed in Albany after Day 1:

George Pataki's liaison to the Jewish Community, Karen Paikin, was, as of late yesterday, still answering her phone at the governor's Manhattan office.

When she was hired by Pataki, her title was special assistant for community affairs, according to this article.

When I asked her if she was staying on in the new administration, she referred the call to an aide, who said one of the governor's spokespeople would call me back. Then... nothing.

-- Azi Paybarah

So, I'm just thinking out loud, but I wonder how Alan Hevesi must be feeling nowadays with news that former governor George Pataki is granted 24-hour security by Eliot Spitzer.

Hevesi, who was the city comptroller when Rudy Giuliani and Mark Green was tackling mob-ruled businesses in New York City. Hevesi, not very effectively, claimed that necessitated security for not just him, but his wife.

Pataki was governor during the September 11th attacks, and its reasonable to assume whatever threat there was to New York that day extended to New York's leaders. But as Andrew Cuomo famously asserted once, um, Pataki didn't take a lead role that day.

So, in short: Hevesi gets no security and Pataki gets it round the clock.

What do you guys think?

-- Azi Paybarah

Scandals help Eliot Spitzer's push to change Albany.

Andrew Cuomo gets sworn in under Spitzer's shadow.

Cuomo backs an independent review of Spitzer's decision to grant George Pataki 24-hour security.

Errol Louis takes note of Spitzer's use of uplifting images, but wonders if that'll translate to something tangible.

The new head of the MTA will ride all the subways, buses, trains and cross all the bridges and tunnels.

The head of the city's Independent Budget Office gets profiled.

Ben obtains Rudy Giuliani's campaign plans, which say his main problems are his private business, disgraced former aide Bernie Kerik and his positions on social issues.

Giuliani considers changing his role in the consulting company he founded.

And a troop surge will almost certainly be part of the president's plan for Iraq, the WSJ reports.

-- Azi Paybarah

So, the outdoor inauguration is about to begin and most of New York's political dignitaries have filed into a large circular stage area behind the capitol, where they're waiting for Eliot Spitzer. It's standing-room only up front and things have an appropriately chaotic feel.

Meanwhile, there are a number of other indications today that the new governor is off to a fast start. His name has already replaced George Pataki's on the "under-contuction" signs outside the capitol. And he is up and running on the governor's website, where he has detailed the executive orders he plans to sign later today.

One interesting line, given the circumstances under which he's taking office, lays out rules for using state property:

"Individuals who are authorized by their agency or public authority to use a vehicle for personal purposes shall keep records of such use, and the value of such personal use shall be calculated and reported as personal income..."

The other brand new executive orders are here.

-- Azi Paybarah

Just days before George Pataki leaves office, New York City has announced plans to participate in a state-run program to detect Medicaid fraud.

The city's participation in the program was required as part of a federal agreement earlier this year that sent $300 million to NYC annually for health care restructuring here, and it is structured to allow the city to keep a quarter of the money recovered.

The agreement also represents a late -- and lately, rare - political victory for the governor, who will be able to claim the deal as the capstone to a series of health care reforms that took place under his watch. They include putting Medicaid recipients in a more efficiently run managed healthcare system, creating the Medicaid Inspector General's office and helping to organize the Berger Commission on hospital closings.

According to Pataki spokesman David Catalfamo, the state had been in continual negotiations with the city over the past six months in an effort to put the deal together this year.

"We didn't stop working when the election was over and we didn't stop working when he said he wasn't running for re-election," he said.

-- Azi Paybarah

George Pataki will tour the capitol because, astonishingly, he hasn't seen enough of the place yet.

When Pataki leaves, some transportation upgrades won't be finished.

Ben challenges an aspect of today's Times story on Basil and David Paterson.

A lot of tourists have come to New York.

The lawyer monitoring the Independence Party's reorganization in Westchester will cost the IP $350 per hour.

Mystery Pollster looks at President Ford's approval ratings.

Amy Taylor on DMIblog wonders, purposefully, if workplace raids "are part of a larger conservative agenda aimed at creating a climate of fear to undermine union organizing efforts."

Greg Sargent sticks stubbornly to the notion that the war in Iraq doesn't help President Bush.

The Economist measures your happiness.

And pictured above is Mike Bloomberg with a very small bridge.

-- Azi Paybarah

At a press conference having to do with a mental health bill, Governor Pataki addressed the Hevesi resignation. "I'm very concerned about the operations of the comptroller's office...I'm concerned about the interim [before a replacement is appointed], what will happen." The governor also said he wasn't sure who exactly will sign the next round of state paychecks.

Pataki drew a contrast between Hevesi's admitted wrongdoing and the allegations currently swirling around the man standing behind him, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno. "I've said time and again: I have confidence in Senator Bruno," the governor said. "I have confidence in the system... I expect come January 3, Senator Bruno will be the majority leader."

The vote of confidence is notable, in that the governor's initial statement about the case--"Hopefully, the senator has done everything right, and that will be what the conclusion is"--was read by some to be less-than-supportive. Obviously, everyone knows they're not horseback-riding buddies.

After the press conference was done, reporters descended on Bruno. He said of the hoopla about the FBI investigation into his business practices:

"This is more of a media event, and when I indicated we were being totally cooperative, and that there was an inquiry, and that I'm letting the Feds do their work, and they're diligent enough and I have been elected by the people, by my conference to govern. And I would appreciate the press, if they would just give me an opportunity, objectively, and fairly, to govern."

UPDATE: To be a bit more specific, the press conference had to do with Timothy's Law, which would require that insurance companies cover various serious mental illnesses, particularly in children. It's a shame that got overshadowed.

-- Azi Paybarah

Joe Bruno at a press conference with Governor Pataki this afternoon. Is it just me, or has he shrunk?

-- Azi Paybarah

Here's the formal announcement that the new state GOP executive director is Allison Coccia, the former political director of the Pennsylvania Republican Party. (She's third from the left in a picture from this website.)

The other person up for the job was John Haggerty, an experienced Republican operative who has worked with Mike Bloomberg, George Pataki and Jeanine Pirro.

Haggerty, along with his brother Bart, has waged a war against Queens GOP leader Serph Maltese with jihad-like intensity. So maybe it was just too much of a stretch for a state leader to hire someone intent on ousting an established county leader.

But new party chair Joe Mondello hinted at another possible reason in a statement announcing the hiring of Coccia in which he said he was happy to have someone "who isn't necessarily wedded to the way things have been done in the past."

Party spokesman Tony Santino told me that the line was not, repeat, not a reference to George Pataki or anyone else in the current party establishment, but "simply a recognition that we had some tough times in the Republican Party in New York State and the chairman is looking to do some new and innovative things."

-- Azi Paybarah

Hillary Clinton is invited to speak to Democrats in New Hampshire.

Hotline looks at Hillary's faith, and notes she's part of not one but two conservative prayer groups.

Mitt Romney may announce his candidacy January 8th.

New Jersey is a step closer to establishing civil unions.

Katie Lapp resigned from her seat on the MTA.

Empire Zone has some interesting video of what happened to some of the bullets in the Sean Bell shooting.

George Pataki started what may be his last Red Room press conference late, and blamed Albany's inaction on the Assembly. Just like old times.

Potomac Flacks looks at the press officers of prospective 2008 candidates.

Pataki's chief fund-raiser will join the WTC Memorial Foundation next month, which would be weird if he were actually planning to run for president in 2008.

And above is Hillary, who only looks like she's ready to announce.

-- Azi Paybarah

As George Pataki attempts to hammer out his final deals with the state legislature, here's a helpful reminder of the state of their relations in the closing days.

From Assemblyman Dick Gottfried the other day at a Drum Major Institute panel about prescription drug costs:

"Pataki's TV ads for Child Health Plus is like Japan taking credit for peace in the Pacific... He fought us tooth and nail."

More highlights from the DMI event are here.

-- Azi Paybarah

Hillary Clinton acknowledged she's thinking about running but said she won't decide until after January 1.

George Pataki's pick for a job on the Public Service Commission, Nick Spano, doesn't want it.

Eliot Spitzer will not use his family fortune to fund future campaigns.

Ben notes that the mayor didn't put a meeting he had with John McCain on his public schedule.

Chuck Bennett is curious about TWU's mass membership meeting.

The new state GOP chairman met major donors at the 101 Club in Manhattan and has been busy canceling consulting contracts.

Rick Santorum may go to work at Fox.

Giuliani Blogger has an interesting poll.

Mole333 reminisces fondly about Major Owens.

Gatemouth looks ahead at Spitzer's first day in office, and offers some advice.

And above is the flag outside City Hall, which flew at half mast today in tribute to the city sanitation worker who died over the weekend after being tossed from his truck.

-- Azi Paybarah

New York magazine looks at Alan Hevesi and his complicated personal situation.

At the same time, Hevesi may benefit from a legal argument written by a Republican state Senator.

Time magazine says, "By trying to become the perfect candidate for the primaries, McCain could be creating difficulties for himself in a general election."

Adam Nagourney wondered over the weekend if America is "more likely to vote for a woman or an African-American for president."

George Pataki will decide whether to run for president next year.

Eliot Spitzer's mettle may be tested over the issue of raising salaries for state lawmakers.

New York Times editors like the idea of studying congestion pricing.

The Sun editors are weary of the lame-duck session of the legislature.

Ben looks inside Barack Obama's meeting with George Soros and other high-end contributors.

And there's a new cover photo and introduction to Hillary's book, It Takes a Village.

-- Azi Paybarah

Chuck Schumer backed Hillary for president.

Hillary created a committee for her senate re-election in 2012. Just in case.

Curious about what Mark Foley said in those instant messages? There's 104 pages of them here.

George Bush has some really, really low approval ratings, according to this recent poll.

The Mother Jones blog wonders if the Democratic-controlled Congress will follow Mike Bloomberg's lead on gun issues.

Alan Hevesi rejected four of George Pataki's contracts.

One out of every three jailed reporters is a blogger, according to this item.

And above is a view from Baruch's panel on the role of the media.

-- Azi Paybarah

Can the Democratic peace in New York last?

Hillary Clinton would have a hard time getting elected president, according to Jon Corzine.

Hillary skipped the congressional breakfast with Eliot Spitzer to meet with a Senator from Iowa.

Rudy Giuliani said that leaving Iraq, which the Iraq Study Group recommended, would be a terrible mistake.

George Pataki has a different take.

Giuliani also said that he's not thinking of a rematch against Hillary.

Dick Morris talked up Mike Bloomberg's presidential chances to the American Spectator.

Aides in Eliot Spitzer's AG office are looking to work on Wall Street.

The list of $52 million of in Assembly pork projects is the tip of the iceberg, or rather, "a single door in a darkened mansion."

Spitzer may name Patrick Foye to head the state's economic development agency.

Plans to build some Bronx schools on a contaminated site have been withdrawn.

Some rooftops near Ground Zero are declared clear of human remains.

Nick Spano, who lost his state senate re-election bid, may be nominated by Pataki for a state job.

An aide to former president Carter trashed his new book.

And John Edwards needs money.

-- Azi Paybarah

No Republicans met with Eliot Spitzer in DC today.

No Republicans have been asked to help Andrew Cuomo.

Joe Bruno gave $500,000 to a firm under investigation for giving him free air travel.

There's an easy-to-search spreadsheet of Assembly pork. (A couple of small, fun examples: $3,000 to publish a newsletter from the Department of Criminal Justice [line 603] and $55,000 to publish The Bushwick Observer [line 465].)

Al Gore has a well-timed book coming out. Hillary tops a Gallup poll of Democratic and Republican presidential candidates. (Note the absence of George Pataki and Mike Bloomberg from the list). Karol wonders why some people seem doubtful about the propect of the 2008 front-runners actually winning. Daily Gotham wonders if the Atlantic Yards Project raises terrorism concerns.

There may be an interesting City Council race in Staten Island.

And above is a picture of City Hall in bloom.

-- Azi Paybarah

This hasn't been a great stretch for George Pataki hopes of going national, what with the departure of key staff in Iowa and a swift boot on the way out the door from Eliot Spitzer.

But a reader familiar with how Albany works notes that the special legislative session scheduled for December 13th gives Pataki a chance to breathe life into his presidential hopes.

Lifting the cap on charter schools and passing a civil confinement bill for sex offenders are the kind of bread and butter accomplishments Iowa and New Hampshire voters are sure to like.

Then again, the law creating charter schools in New York only passed when Pataki agreed to a pay raise for legislators, which is one more knock against his qualifications as a fiscal conservative.

So maybe the guy just can't win.

-- Azi Paybarah

As if Chuck Schumer isn't already everywhere, he may take the lead on the effort to bring the Democratic National Convention to New York.

Roslynn Mauskopf got an unenthusiastic endorsement from the ABA for a federal judgeship.

George Pataki and Jeanine Pirro are not attending the state GOP meeting in Albany where Joe Mondello is expected to be named the party's new state chairman.

Eliot Spitzer said it's not hypocritical to raise campaign money under the old rules and then introduce a new set of rules after winning.

"I'm not looking back and saying that behavior that didn't live up to these standards was inappropriate, we're just saying, this is the standard we want to apply."

Rudy Blogger uses a familiar anti-Rudy argument and asks how conservatives will react when they learn that Mitt Romeny supported abortion and gay rights before 2002.

Mystery Pollster has more on the accuracy of the polls of this year's House races.

The head of the Municipal Arts Society sounds off on the Atlantic Yards project.

Daily Gotham says that poverty is back in New York.

And pictured above is Dirk McCall, the head of the Stonewall Democrats who organized the Jim McGreevey event last night and has a holiday party coming up next week.

-- Azi Paybarah

Eliot Spitzer seemed to have made it clear that his self-imposed reform package - not attending fund-raisers in Albany and capping contributions at $10,000, among other things - is intended to have the effect of politely shaming other lawmakers in Albany into following his example.

Here's what he said earlier today:

"What we are doing is trying to change the paradigm, and by changing the paradigm and leading by example and saying to the legislature, this is the way we believe state government should function."

Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno has already balked at the idea, and Sheldon Silver, as far as I can tell, is still formulating his reponse.

But Democratic consultant Evan Stavisky has an alternative take: that the proposals are intended chiefly to serve as a contrast with the practices of George Pataki, rather than as any implicit rebuke of Silver and the rank-and-file lawmakers who Spitzer actually has to work with.

"Some of the issues in there are unique to the executive branch. Its not directed at Shelly Silver. It's directed at George Pataki, who found new and innovative ways to enrich his cronies. "The state legislature has been dysfunctional, but the Pataki administration has been disgraceful."

-- Azi Paybarah

The Baker Commission is recommending a gradual troop pullback.

Ray Kelly's handling of the Sean Bell tragedy could yield "a political payoff if he indeed runs for mayor," something he hasn't ruled out.

A fourth witness to the shooting incident is sought.

Malcolm Smith says that "we will only hamper the investigation" if it's looked at "as a racial incident."

Good news for Albany is bad news for Eliot Spitzer, says Bill Hammond.

"He'll never be able to keep a lid on spending if the Legislature has a $1.1 billion surplus burning a hole in its collective pocket. And he'll never be able to rally public support for reform if the public gets that things have calmed down in Albany."

The hospital closing recommendations were endorsed by Eliot Spitzer and George Pataki.

Pataki also said yesterday that Iraq today is worse than when he saw it in 2004. He also ruled out a pay hike for state legislators.

Despite overseeing electoral losses in his backyard, Nassau GOP leader Joseph Mondello will be elected state party chairman today.

Andrew Cuomo's spokesperson said she and another campaign aide pulled out of panel discussion yesterday because they were tied up working with transition work for the incoming AG.

The local economy is really good.

A Bronx lawmaker helped steer $50,000 to a non-profit run by his chief of staff.

Where is Hillary?

The conservative Weekly Standard thinks the liberal Charlie Rangel may salvage international trade.

-- Azi Paybarah

Barack Obama is in talks with Kerry and Gore operatives.

Senator Jose Serrano can't get an endorsing interview with an environmental group that wantsto clean up Albany.

George Pataki's trip overseas was to Iraq, where he said the local government "is not delivering either the security or the services" that are needed.

He also said it was "obvious" the 50 bullets fired at Sean Bell and company was excessive.

Andrew Cuomo pulled the plug on post-election talk by his campaign aides.

AIG chairman and erstwhile Eliot Spitzer target Hank Greenberg is reportedly buying lots of New York Times stock.

The Manhattan Institute is taking further interest in the idea of congestion pricing.

And above is Barack Obama, who, word has it, may seek higher office in 2008.

-- Azi Paybarah

Attention Mike Bloomberg and Kevin Sheekey: James Carville says there is a "real, real" chance for a third-party movement in the 2008 election.

A conservative GOP Iowa operative working for George Pataki's PAC has quit.

Bill Hammond said that despite the political context swirling around Alan Hevesi, "it's hard to argue with the story that chart" in his most recent audit.

In a recent CNN poll, former Senator John Edwards was the first second-choice among Democrats for the party's nomination.

Greg Sargent feels that John McCain gets the benefit of the doubt from reporters who should "know better."

The Bull Moose blogger is now Joe Lieberman's spokesman.

Nancy Pelosi closes (and locks) the door on the talk about reinstating the draft that was being advanced by Charlie Rangel.

New York's local judicial system may get a major overhaul.

And above is the festive cover of The Nation, which has a distinctly Observer-y feel.  read more »

-- Azi Paybarah

Just after handing him a dramatic win, the state Court of Appeals has dealt a setback to George Pataki, dulling what could have been a key selling point for someone looking to position himself as a tough-on-crime conservative in 2008.

From the AP:

"New York's highest court ruled Tuesday that the state _ acting under an order from Gov. George Pataki _ wrongly confined convicted sex offenders in psychiatric facilities after their prison sentences ended."

Civil confinement was a signature (albeit late) issue for Pataki and a constant talking point for his preferred senate/attorney general candidate, Jeanine Pirro.

But the decision is not a total loss for Pataki:

"In conclusion, we understand how in an attempt to protect the community from violent sexual predators, the state proceed under the Mental Hygiene law. We do not propose that these petitioners be released, nor do we propose to trump the interest of public safety. Rather, we recognized that a need for continued hospitalization may well exist."

-- Azi Paybarah

Governor Pataki's executive order to fully investigate Comptroller Alan Hevesi is over here.  read more »

What's interesting is the precedent this sets for the incoming governor who spent the last couple of years as prosecutor and once joked during a press conference that as governor, he'll have subpoena power.

-- Azi Paybarah

With pressure from Eliot Spitzer and George Pataki for Alan Hevesi to resign, it's worth noting that even relatively supportive editorial boards, like that of the Staten Island Advance, are urging him to go.

Citing an audit by Hevesi which uncovered Medicaid payments made on behalf of dead patients, the editors wrote:

"It's just another example of the excellent job Mr. Hevesi has been doing on behalf of state taxpayers for the last four years as the state's top financial watchdog. His administration has been the most proactive and aggressive of any comptroller's in recent memory and it has gotten positive results time after time.

"This kind of superb work makes it all the more unfortunate that Mr. Hevesi will ultimately have to leave office, even though he was re-elected handily last week."

Skip

"Gov.-elect Spitzer says he wants to allow the process to proceed, but that sets the stage for Mr. Hevesi to begin a new term and then face messy impeachment proceedings. Mr. Spitzer and the state, focused on reform, don't need that. Neither, at this point, does Mr. Hevesi. He should resign and clear the decks for a new comptroller to be appointed by the legislature. And he should do that soon."

-- Azi Paybarah

Hillary "could decide to run over the Thanksgiving holidays," says Hotline.

Anthony Weiner's press aide is flacking for John Murtha, who is running for the No. 2 job in the house.

Rudyblogger notes that "Those who test the waters but never run (Warner, Feingold) never go through the step of setting up exploratory committees."

Is there a conservative movement to oust Joe Bruno?

Autographed picture of George Pataki...only $20.

The guy who once led Mike Bloomberg's legislative efforts in Albany, Skip Piscitelli, is re-joining his old powerhouse law firm. Eliot Spitzer and Andrew Cuomo partied on election night with Benjamin Barber, according to Ben's translation of a Yiddish newspaper article.

Spitzerblog posts its final thought.

The Fix says Evan Bayh, Chuck Schumer and Rahm Emanuel are winners after the midterm elections. John Kerry, among others, is a loser.

Disgraced former congressman Bob Ney lobbied incoming RNC Chairman Mel Martinez when he was a federal housing secretary.

Kos is excited about the possible return of Republican Trent Lott. "It'd be fun to have Lott to kick around again."

Here is a list of the Democrats who will chair the Senate's 20 committees.

Greg Sargent tries to debunk the notion that Republicans lost the election (as opposed to Democrats winning it).  read more »

And pictured above is Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum waiting to hand-deliver some emails to the mayor's staff that she received from parents complaining about the cell phone ban in public schools.

-- Azi Paybarah

With Rudy Giuliani and John McCain both clearly on the road to a presidential run, Republican fans of the like-minded Republicans -- hawkish in both foreign policy and temperament -- are going to be forced to pick between the two.

A few weeks ago I was speaking with Rep. Pete King about this very choice. King, you may remember, picked a fight with George Pataki and most of the New York GOP establishment to stand by McCain when he ran against George Bush. But he's also a longtime friend and ally of Giuliani.

So who will it be?

"I supported McCain in 2000," said King. "I still think he'd make a great president. I just feel that at this time, more than anyone, Rudy realizes the type of enemy -- an insidious, amorphous enemy."

"Rudy is number 1, McCain 1a."

-- Jason Horowitz