'That May Very Well Be Interpreted by Some Obama Loyalists as a Slap at the President

You've got to give the accidental governor credit for being spunky. He gets thrown under Obama's bus only to get up, dust himself off and come back for more.

Days after the Obama administration told him it would rather he not run for election next year, Gov. Paterson seemed to send a little payback on Tuesday.

While saying he understands why the Obama administration is involving itself in New York politics, Paterson noted the White House's inability to get key legislation passed in the first months of his presidency.

"If you look at it from their perspective, they haven't exactly been able to govern in the first year of their administration the way other administrations have, where you would theoretically have a period in which the new administration is allowed to pass some of the needed pieces of legislation," Paterson said.

Paterson blamed the partisan politics of Washington.

From the White House's view, losing any Democratic governors or congressional seats will create further problems for Obama's agenda.

"That's why ... in order to accomplish their health care plan, their energy plan, the other ideas that they have for America that really are transformative, they've had to look at who is going to be voting, who can actually help them," he said.

"So I don't have a problem with the fact that they would look to different states to try to get that assistance."

The comments raised some eyebrows.

"That may very well be interpreted by some Obama loyalists as a slap at the President," Democratic operative Hank Sheinkopf said.

An aide said the governor was pointing out the need to protect Democratic seats because the Republicans did not give Obama a honeymoon period.

Sure, let's blame it on Republicans.

No president in my lifetime has gotten a more fawning honeymoon period, especially from the media. The Republicans can't do a thing to stop the Democrat agenda, yet they still act like whiny babies.