'She Does Not Have Much Political, I Mean, Legislative Experience, Which is a Minus'

She has zero legislative experience, in other words, and is wholly unqualified to be a United States Senator. Heck, one could argue she isn't qualified to be a PTA member at this point. But she was born a Kennedy, Obama likes her, she's a world record-holder for the number of times a person has said "you know" in one minute and isn't that all that matters to Democrats?

Gov. David Paterson said for the first time Thursday that Caroline Kennedy's lack of legislative experience is a "minus" to her qualifications as a possible appointee to the U.S. Senate.

But the governor, who will appoint a new senator if Hillary Rodham Clinton becomes secretary of state as expected, also said Kennedy has many positives despite never holding elective office.

"Caroline Kennedy obviously does have a tremendous relationship with (President-elect Barack Obama) that's certainly a plus," Paterson said Thursday. "She does not have much political, I mean, legislative experience, which is a minus."

The Democratic governor said as many as 15 contenders are interested and he's already spoken to or interviewed about 10.

He said Kennedy's advantages include her name and contacts in Washington — including her uncle, Sen. Edward Kennedy — that could give her immediate clout, much like former first lady Clinton.

Governor-by-Accident Paterson ought to just be done with the sham and appoint her. What is he afraid of? Her completely tanking and taking him down with her?

Man up, Dave, and be done with the charade. The world is waiting to laugh at you.

NY Dems Now Talking About Interim 'Caretaker' Senator

Now that the Princess Caroline effort had badly flopped and no other candidate has emerged, rumblings have begun about David Paterson possibly installing a "caretaker" to serve until a special election can be held in 2010.

Now you'd never guess what name is being floated.

Sen. Bill Clinton? Sen. Mario Cuomo? Don't completely rule it out. The former president and the former New York governor are among several boldface names being touted as possible "caretakers" for New York's Senate seat — people who would serve until the 2010 elections but wouldn't be interested in running to keep the job.

As the process of picking Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's replacement gets messier, the option may become increasingly attractive to Gov. David Paterson, who has sole authority to name a successor.

A spokesman for Bill Clinton, Matt McKenna, said Wednesday that the former chief executive isn't interested in the job and plans to continue the work of his foundation. Cuomo declined through a spokesman to discuss the Senate seat.

A big name could have an immediate impact for New York in the Senate while letting the large field of hopefuls duke it out in 2010, according to three Democratic Party advisers in New York and Washington who are close to the discussion with Paterson's inner circle on this issue.

Two others in the party confirmed that Paterson is still considering the caretaker option. The advisers spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to comment.

"You could find a very senior person who could serve New York well" on an interim basis, said Gerald Benjamin, a political scientist and dean at the State University of New York at New Paltz. "Then you can say to Caroline Kennedy, `You know, you'd make a good senator. Run for it.' And you can tell everyone else that it's a level playing field."

Paterson has made it clear in recent days that he's getting annoyed by the constant jockeying by supporters of high-powered hopefuls including Kennedy, half a dozen members of Congress and state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, son of the former governor.

Having noted earlier what a glorious year it's been for public officials with sexual peccadilloes, the choice of The Clenis would be most ironic.

Hot Air links. Thanks!

Bloomberg: Um, You Know, Stop Picking On The Princess

Leave it to Michael Bloomberg, the man of many parties, to rush to the defense of Caroline Kennedy while at the same time making the story all about himself.

Mayor Bloomberg yesterday defended Caroline Kennedy from attacks over recent interviews in which she punctuated her remarks with a stream of "ums" and "you knows."

"Caroline Kennedy isn't just your average person, so people may be a little more critical," said Bloomberg, who has repeatedly praised Kennedy since she threw her name into the hat to replace Hillary Rodham, Clinton in the Senate.

Well, I though everyone was trying to, um, portray the Princess as an average New Yorker? Could you people get your talking points straight?

But in a classic case of vintage Bloogberg whine, he makes it all about himself.

"If there's anybody who understands the pain and suffering of having the press criticize how you speak, it is me," he added.

Pain and suffering?

Aww, the poor widdle bllionaire is suffering from criticism.

It's positively heartbreaking.

Well, maybe if the guy wasn't such an all-knowing, obnoxious nanny-stater who flouts the law to allow himself to run again he wouldn't be subjected to the painful criticism.

I've said it before and it's worth repeating. Bloomberg and every other politician out there ought to emulate George W. Bush in at least one area: How to comport themselves with dignity and grace in the face of criticism. In Bush's case, few people in high office have ever suffered as much abuse as he has but have your ever heard him once whine about it?

Bloomberg also has the gall to complain other candidates for the Senate seat (did you know there are other candidates?) aren't being subjected to criticism. Well, maybe if they could get some notice they might.

Bloomberg's defense of Kennedy yesterday also extended to the criticizing the press corps, which he accused of subjecting her to intense scrutiny not visited on her rivals.

"Nobody seems to be asking other particular candidates, 'Tell us what you would do in the situation of world chaos or whatever, a Depression, a world war,' " Bloomberg said.

Kevin Wardally, of Bill Lynch Associates, who is representing Rep. Carolyn Maloney in the Senate contest, said Kennedy has "sucked the air out of the room," and his client would welcome scrutiny from the press.

"We're barely included," said Wardally. "We are the last sentence in most articles in a list with the other candidates."

Meanwhile, it sure doesn't appear Bloomberg's support is helping.

'Camelot Must be Gaelic for Chutzpah'

Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg is on a full-court media press today, deigning to sit down with the ink-stained schlubs from the New York Post and New York Times. Two items of note from her Post interview jump off the page.

* She opposes the death penalty, even in cases of cop killers.

* She voted for Democrat Fernando Ferrer over Bloomberg in the 2005 mayoral race.

Right there her judgment must be questioned. Fernando Ferrer? Oh, and I'll go out on a limb and suggest even most Democrats would support the death penalty for cop killers. The rest of her Post interview consisted of the usual softballs and what's on her iPod.

Yawn.

With the Times, however, she really gets testy. Not a good way to win over the core audience for the Old Gray Lady. This part really stands out:

With several weeks to go before Mr. Paterson makes his decision, she is doling out glimpses of her political beliefs and private life. But when asked Saturday morning to describe the moment she decided to seek the Senate seat, Ms. Kennedy seemed irritated by the question and said she couldn’t recall.

“Have you guys ever thought about writing for, like, a woman’s magazine or something?” she asked the reporters. “I thought you were the crack political team.”

Not a good way to curry favor.

Meanwhile, Daily News columnist Michael Goodwin suggests it's time to Say Goodnight, Caroline.

Some top Democrats were certain Gov. Paterson, a close-to-the vest electorate of one, would find Kennedy irresistible now and as a running mate in two years. All others were chopped liver next to her sudden star power.

But a strange thing is happening on the way to the coronation. The wheels of the bandwagon are coming off. Fantasy is giving way to inescapable truth.

That truth is that Kennedy is not ready for the job and doesn't deserve it. Somebody who loves her should tell her.

Her quest is becoming a cringe-inducing experience, as painful to watch as it must be to endure. Because she is the only survivor of that dreamy time nearly 50 years ago, she remains an iconic figure. But in the last few days, her mini-campaign has proved she has little to offer New Yorkers except her name.

Her handlers and family enablers insist she feels no entitlement to the Senate job, yet there is no other possible reason to give it to her. Her name is the sole reason she even dares go for it. Camelot must be Gaelic for chutzpah.

New York can do better.

Ouch.

Even the one job she had in public life has come into question. Apparently on the basis of a chance meeting with New York's schools chancellor at a party on Martha's Vineyard, she signed on as a part-time fund-raiser. How much she raised and how much she worked have been challenged, but no matter. The point is that this self-described advocate for the public schools did not send her children to them.

Enough.

Limousine liberals are a dime a dozen, and carpetbaggers are nothing new in New York. And with the social scene constantly churning out the old for the next new thing, there's no reason middle-aged dilettantes can't also try their hand at politics.

They just can't start in the Senate.

Does anyone dare tell her this?

Doubtful.

9/11, Obama Led Princess Kennedy to Politics

Sure, this is believable. I'll be back to discuss things after I get back from riding my shiny, happy unicorn.

Caroline Kennedy emerged from weeks of near-silence Friday about her bid for a Senate seat by saying that after a lifetime of closely guarded privacy, she felt compelled to answer the call to service issued by her father a generation ago.

She said two events shaped her decision to ask Gov. David Paterson 11 days ago to consider her for the position if Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is confirmed as secretary of state: the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and her work for Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

In her first sit-down interview since she emerged as a Senate hopeful, the 51-year-old daughter of President John F. Kennedy cited her father's legacy in explaining her decision to seek to serve alongside her uncle Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy.

The $100 Million Princess Is Rather Stingy With Campaign Cash

Perhaps Princess Caroline wouldn't be facing such stiff opposition within her own party if she weren't such a cheapskate. So this now makes her totally unqualified and stingy.

Caroline Kennedy's supporters say she could raise tons of money as a senator, but when it comes to writing checks to New York Democrats, she's been largely AWOL.

This decade, other than a $1,000 donation to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the Camelot heiress has not financially supported any Democrat seeking city or state office in New York, records reveal.

Some say Kennedy, who is worth at least $100 million, missed an opportunity to curry favor among Democratic pols to establish herself as a serious political player as she lobbies Gov. Paterson for Hillary Clinton's Senate seat.

She has already been asked to explain a spotty Election Day voting record over the past 20 years.

"Voting is the minimum thing that you can do, and she hasn't done that. The next thing you can do is you could donate money, and she hasn't done that," said Doug Muzzio, professor of public affairs at Baruch College.

"It calls into question her commitment to politics and to government."

On the federal level, Kennedy doled out roughly $30,000 in the past decade, but Clinton was the only New Yorker to benefit.

Paterson, meanwhile, is suffering from Hill's Seat Blues and sounding testy about it. Paterson may be reconsidering the Kennedy Schlossberg possibility considering he's going to be running at the same time as the next election for this seat and if she's as unqualified as appears, that could doom any hopes he has himself in 2010.

Pure Hilarity: NY Times Gets Pwned

Good thing they have those layers of editors and fact checkers to avoid colossal blunders like this.

Earlier this morning, we posted a letter that carried the name of Bertrand Delanoë, the mayor of Paris, sharply criticizing Caroline Kennedy.

This letter was a fake. It should not have been published.

Doing so violated both our standards and our procedures in publishing signed letters from our readers.

We have already expressed our regrets to Mr. Delanoë's office and we are now doing the same to you, our readers.

This letter, like most Letters to the Editor these days, arrived by email. It is Times procedure to verify the authenticity of every letter. In this case, our staff sent an edited version of the letter to the sender of the email and did not hear back. At that point, we should have contacted Mr. Delanoë's office to verify that he had, in fact, written to us.

And the dumbasses published it!

Ha ha ha!

Really, they should try to apply some better standards of professionalism, like blogs do. This amateur hour bit really needs to stop.

H/T Hot Air.

Now, if they'd only apologize for the absurd hitpiece on George W. Bush from Sunday.

'We're Seeing a Seat-Warmer in Delaware, a Seat-Seller in Illinois, and We're Making Seat-Cushions in New York ...'

One of the more surprising things about this story is there are actual Republicans still left in New York that can get some face time on television.

By all means, send us more seat-warmers. All this global warming here in the Northeast is taking a toll on us.

Caroline Kennedy, who has placed her name in contention as a replacement for Sen. Hillary Clinton, was slammed by New York Republicans who view her as a "celebrity" without the qualifications necessary to function in Congress.

At the same time, it was suggested that Republicans might want her to be chosen, preferring to run against her in two years' time than against a more experienced politician.

Speaking on CBS' Face The Nation, Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. (who has said he wants to run for Senate) called Kennedy a "People Magazine celebrity" who, as far as he knew, "has never held a real job.

"How can the average New Yorker identify with Caroline Kennedy?" King asked. "She comes from an outstanding family, I'm sure she's a wonderful parent, but she's never taken a stand on any public issue. She's never even held one news conference. She hasn't gone to one American Legion hall or Knights of Columbus hall or Masonic temple, or one synagogue to answer questions. When she does go on her so-called listening tour upstate, she's, like, running from city hall into the car to avoid reporters.

"And we just can't afford that. We can't afford to have a senator who is not prepared on day one."

While King said that other potential replacements for Hillary Clinton had "far more credentials" than Kennedy, he believed that choosing her would put Kennedy under tremendous scrutiny. "There's going to be a magnifying glass on her," he said. "And people are going to see that she is not equipped for the job. And I think the Republican candidate in 2010 will have a much better opportunity against Caroline Kennedy than against the others, especially someone who can identify with middle-income, working-class families."

The GOP sentiments were echoed by Rep. Tom Reynolds, from Buffalo in upstate New York, who decried the Senate as becoming "a House of Lords."

Referring to replacements being named or proferred to replace Senators Joe Biden and Barack Obama, Reynolds said, "We're seeing a seat-warmer in Delaware, a seat-seller in Illinois, and we're making seat-cushions in New York for, kind of, an aristocrat royalty of entitlement coming in here."

Ackerman Compares Inexperienced Schlossberg to Palin

A couple of weeks ago the New York Democrat said Jennifer Lopez was just as qualified as Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg to be a senator from New York, which was a valid comparison if you ask me, based on her experience, which is zero.

Now, however, Ackerman is getting stupid by claiming Schlossberg has the same amount of experience as Sarah Palin. Uh, Congressman, in case you hadn't noticed, Sarah Palin is a sitting governor, which, last I checked, is an elected office, not a political appointment. Look, I understand these Democrats are obsessed with Palin, but if you want to try and compare her to Schlossberg, is just isn't valid.

A Democratic congressman is comparing Caroline Kennedy to Sarah Palin, saying the would-be senator has yet to prove she has the "guts and the gumption" to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Guts and gumption? Who was it for three months has every aspect of her life trashed and her character smeared by the left and stood tall throughout?

It was Sarah Palin. She's got more guts the the entire Democratic Party combined.

Let's face it. Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg is painfully unqualified to be a United States senator. You know it, I know it, the media knows it and dare I say, Schlossberg herself knows it. If she wasn't born a Kennedy she'd wouldn't be given the time of day.

To lump her in with Palin, a woman who got where she is by her own doing, not by winning a genetic lottery, is an absurd comparison.