Faulkner Jr.! Happy new year, and I knew I left someone off the list of wonderful Obama supporters who helped me see self-correct my reaction to less-wonderful Obama supporters. Yes, Klytus has been a little sad without you.

Yes, Juliebird, I believe she's expressed quiet interest, and reportedly hired longtime labor politico Bill Lynch to quietly help her bid. I don't know enough about all the NY choices (and politics) to say who's best, but I trust Digby and have always respected Maloney. We'll see.

sypage, Obama had already opposed Blago's right to appoint someone. Trust me, he opposed the Burris pick, and my already sky-high admiration for him climbed, because this could get ugly. But what Blago did was wrong. In Burris, he may well have found the one person with the political stature to maybe make Democrats think twice about Blago's move, who was nonetheless opportunistic (or forlorn) enough to say yes to such a cynical appointment.

Not good.

sypage, Obama had already opposed Blago's right to appoint someone. Trust me, he opposed the Burris pick, and my already sky-high admiration for him climbed, because this could get ugly. But what Blago did was wrong. In Burris, he may well have found the one person with the political stature to maybe make Democrats think twice about Blago's move, who was nonetheless opportunistic (or forlorn) enough to say yes to such a cynical appointment.

Not good.

WillBFair, I'm being unfair to digby with that headline, because her post jumped off Kerry Kennedy saying (and other Caroline supporters agree) Hillary's post should go to a woman.

I actually think, given that it's an appointment, that gender should be one of Paterson's considerations, given that New York elected a woman.

But I'm not saying that's the only consideration.

Increasingly though, I would say, given his choice of Carolyn/Carolines, I would choose Maloney if I were Paterson. It's such a Solomonic choice, because it opens up Maloney's seat for Kennedy IF she chooses to run.

Everybody in the Senate should probably have run (and probably have won) for some kind of political office. Call it Walsh's law.

Oh, and WillBFair? If you're mainly looking for a gay/gay rights prominent candidate, I might well support Christine Quinn over Caroline Kennedy. I am a Democrat; I have a bias for people elected democratically.

IA writer, yours is the best letter yet. I ran into David Gregory at Obama's victory speech in Des Moines that night, and he was beaming like he'd seen the future -- and he had. Thanks for your honesty -- and all your hard work, over the years, for Democrats.

mdconti, I just completely disagree with you. The reason journalists are weighing in on this is that there is no election, there is one voter who matters, David Paterson. Also: It's an open seat, she's a Kennedy, why would this be surprising?

The Literary Thug, I agree with you as always, even when you disagree with me.

Juliebird, I couldn't say it better.

The Literary Thug (and Juliebird, actually): I have often wanted to invite you to Open Salon, I think you'd enjoy it, but since you gave up your own blog (I think?) I have no way to reach you. Since you gave up your blog it might seem perverse on my part to invite you to start another one, but hey, timing is everything, right? And you might find an audience and some interesting peers.

At any rate, happy new year to both of you -- and everyone reading this thread!

Charope, I know who Bill Lynch is. I grew up there, I'm not stupid. And I'm not saying the pick must come from the Upper East Side.

But if you're Caroline Kennedy, or one of her supporters, I can't think of anything more convenient, or inconvenient, than that YOUR congresswoman is a 16 year congressional veteran and liberal feminist, who, if appointed, you could simply run to replace (or seek to be appointed, on THAT point I am ignorant, I confess).

It was just too easy for me, the logistics. And then Maloney's own claim on the appointment started becoming sharper for me.

I think it's hard for Paterson to appoint Caroline Kennedy now. I say that as a CK admirer.

Oh, and Charope, to your point about the Catholic Kennedy and salt of the earth folks? I'm an old-fashioned Irish Catholic Kennedy lover from Long Island -- and merely judging by the public record I think Carolyn Maloney is much more likely to stand up for and be effective on behalf of salt-of-the-earth folks.

Bitter Scribe, I would love to disagree with you, but...I remember Roland Burris as being singularly unhelpful (for a black Democrat) to Harold Washington during the Council Wars. There really is no one like Washington (except, sometimes, Obama) since Washington...

mdconti, I don't speak for Kos, and he doesn't speak for me -- I'd probably be fine with Nadler, but I'd prefer Maloney. I think the prior examples of wives are sudden absences, unlike the Clinton vacancy, with a (perhaps unfair) emotional bias for the widow.

And I would say, given the importance of New York state, the huge number of qualified New York candidates, Caroline's celebrity, Caroline's political inexperience, her really remarkable lackluster mini-campaign, and the reality that many, many, many New York Democrats have run and won election...I think the people who are marveling at journalists' interests in this seat are the ones who are looking at things a little bit strangely, not (in this rare case) the journalists. With all due respect! And happy new year!

Thrasher, happy new year! Do I need to point out that Bobby Rush introduced the race card, nobody else? C'mon Thrasher, try to be a little bit more convincing in the new year, you're smarter than that.