[Kneeniasy]

... Mr. Cuomo has developed a genuinely constructive and even warm relationship with Mr. Paterson, no small accomplishment given Mr. Cuomo’s history of clashing with fellow Democrats with an aggressive — some would say abrasive — style. After aggravating Mr. Paterson and his advisers over what they saw as his unsubtle angling for the seat, Mr. Cuomo has been trying as hard as he can these days to appear as if he does not want the job. His refrain: It is the governor’s choice.

News Analysis
A Newly Circumspect Cuomo’s Senate Tap Dance



Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times

Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo discussed the expected Senate vacancy at a
news conference on Thursday. He deflected questions, saying, “I have a job.”

By JEREMY W. PETERS
Published: December 11, 2008


ALBANY — Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo, at a news conference at the State Capitol complex here on Thursday, displayed a trait he is not known for: brevity.

Did he think, a reporter asked, that Caroline Kennedy, another person under consideration for an appointment to the United States Senate, is qualified for the job?

“I’ve known Caroline for years,” Mr. Cuomo said. “I have a high opinion of her. But that’s going to be up to the governor.”

Did he think that the Kennedy family has championed Ms. Kennedy as a way to prevent Mr. Cuomo from getting the appointment? “No,” Mr. Cuomo said flatly, pausing to take a sip of water. “I haven’t heard that either. But no.”

In the days since speculation began that President-elect Barack Obama would choose Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state, leaving Gov. David A. Paterson to fill her seat, Mr. Cuomo, an often blustery and rarely reserved politician, has at times seemed to pull back.

The prospect of an open Senate seat appears to have unsettled Mr. Cuomo and thrown off his usually reliable political radar.

For anyone interested in the seat, the dance is delicate. But for Mr. Cuomo, the situation is especially freighted in part because of his highly public and acrimonious divorce from Ms. Kennedy’s cousin Kerry Kennedy, who has been prominently suggesting that Caroline Kennedy would be an excellent choice.

Mr. Cuomo, in an interview, said his divorce is irrelevant, and his ex-wife declined to comment.

And Mr. Cuomo has developed a genuinely constructive and even warm relationship with Mr. Paterson, no small accomplishment given Mr. Cuomo’s history of clashing with fellow Democrats with an aggressive — some would say abrasive — style. After aggravating Mr. Paterson and his advisers over what they saw as his unsubtle angling for the seat, Mr. Cuomo has been trying as hard as he can these days to appear as if he does not want the job. His refrain: It is the governor’s choice.

On Thursday, he insisted that he is perfectly content in his current role.

“My position is, I have a job,” he said. “I’m the attorney general of the State of New York. I have my hands full doing it. I enjoy doing it.”

Mr. Cuomo, 51, the son of former Gov. Mario M. Cuomo, has earned generally high marks for his tenure as attorney general, showing a populist streak in railing against executive pay packages and deceptive tactics in student lending practices.

His supporters say the fact that he is in the top tier of candidates being considered to replace Mrs. Clinton is evidence of the respect he now commands.

Still, Mr. Cuomo wants to avoid tripping up.

At the news conference on Thursday, he offered a curious explanation of why he would not discuss any conversations he might have had with the governor about the Senate appointment.

“The conversations between the governor and myself are private. Why? Because I’m the attorney general. We have an attorney-client relationship,” he said, prompting a few raised eyebrows.

Mr. Cuomo later called a reporter to clarify the matter. He said that he did not mean to imply that his conversations with the governor were legally protected, but that he meant to say the discussions were private exchanges between two high-ranking state officials on sensitive business and should not be discussed publicly.

Mr. Cuomo’s careful treading on the subject is evidence to some who know him well that he does indeed want the seat.

“The fact that Andrew has refrained from comment on the matter is a clear indication that he really wants the appointment,” said one longtime Albany Democratic operative with knowledge of Mr. Cuomo’s thinking on the matter, who was given anonymity to avoid antagonizing Mr. Cuomo. “Otherwise, you just know that he and his father would be opining on what it takes to be a great senator. They’d be talking about rationale and process, and the poetry of campaigns versus the prose of government.”

Mr. Paterson, without naming names, has joked and expressed exasperation over the incessant lobbying by those interested in the job and their allies. He has compared all the speculation and intrigue about the process to a reality television show.

Elizabeth Holtzman, a veteran of New York City politics who has been a district attorney, member of Congress and city comptroller, met with Mr. Paterson in his New York City office on Thursday to discuss her own interest in the seat.

"I talked to him about what I thought were the unique attributes that I thought I could bring to the position," said Ms. Holtzman, who ran unsuccessfully for the Senate twice, in 1980 and 1992.

Ms. Holtzman, 67, said her meeting with the governor, which lasted about half an hour, left her feeling upbeat.

"He did say he’d get back to me," she said.


Nicholas Confessore and Danny Hakim contributed reporting.



Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company