[Wheegiabe]

Who will be next to represent this "Empire State" in United States Senate? "The Nanny" - Fran Drescher - or a Kennedy or a Cuomo? Then there are Reps. Kirsten Gillibrand, Brian Higgins, Steve Israel, Nydia Velazquez, or Carolyn Maloney, to say nothing about a certain former candidate for governor, Tom Suozzi to the east, in Nassau County, or how about Buffalo's mayor, Byron Brown - all are possible choices according to what has been written. Another scenario exists, however, and it is a last resort: an as-yet unnamed person, just might be waiting in the wings for Governor Paterson, whom you or I or someone else (with inside knowledge) can name from behind this impenetrable screen of anonymity, known as "Wired New York."

Earlier today, the floodgates may have begun to open, as this breaking news came rushing forth:







Caroline Kennedy to Seek Clinton’s Senate Seat


By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
Published: December 15, 2008


Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of an American political dynasty, has decided to pursue the United States Senate seat being vacated by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, a person told of her decision said on Monday.



Chitose Suzuki/Associated Press

Caroline Kennedy at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
and Museum in Boston in 2005.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Caroline Kennedy campaigning for Barack Obama
in Hartford, Conn., in February.

The decision came after a series of deeply personal and political conversations, in which Ms. Kennedy, whom friends describe as unflashy but determined, wrestled with whether to give up what has been a lifetime of avoiding the spotlight.

Ms. Kennedy will ask Gov. David A. Paterson of New York to consider her for the appointment, according to the person told of her decision. The governor was traveling to Utica today and could not immediately be reached for comment.

If appointed, Ms. Kennedy would fill the seat once held by her uncle, Robert F. Kennedy.

Ms. Kennedy has been making calls this morning to alert political figures to her interest.

Ms. Kennedy’s decision is likely to have a major impact on the governor’s considerations as he mulls who should succeed Mrs. Clinton. Already, some other Democrats have pointedly questioned her credentials for the job. United States Representative Gary Ackerman, a Queens Democrat, said last week that he did not know what Ms. Kennedy’s qualifications were, “except that she has name recognition — but so does J. Lo.”

Others, including Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg have praised her abilities.

Ms. Kennedy first telephoned the governor on Dec. 3 to inquire about the job, but Mr. Paterson described that conversation as “informational” and said it was clear that Ms. Kennedy had not decided whether she wanted to pursue the position.

But since then, she has begun reaching out to key political figures in New York, including Sheldon Silver, the speaker of the State Assembly, and Thomas P. DiNapoli, the state comptroller. She has also hired Knickerbocker SKD, a prominent political consulting firm headed by Josh Isay, a former chief of staff to Senator Charles E. Schumer, to advise her.

Ms. Kennedy’s family members, especially her cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have urged her to seek the post.

Mrs. Clinton has said that she would not vacate the Senate seat until she was confirmed as President-elect Barack Obama’s secretary of state, which is expected to occur in January or February, and the governor has said that he would wait until then to make the appointment. But he has also said that he might make his selection known before then, to allow whomever is chosen to prepare for the new role.

Ms. Kennedy, 51, a resident of Manhattan’s Upper East Side, took an unusually public role in Mr. Obama’s campaign, and the two became friends. Mr. Obama appointed Ms. Kennedy to the panel that vetted potential vice-presidential candidates for him.

Before that, Ms. Kennedy had devoted much of her time to charitable works and institutions linked to her family, like the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, of which she is president.

Others likely to be considered for the Senate seat are members of Congress including Kirsten Gillibrand, a rising star in the Democratic party who represents an upstate district; Thomas R. Suozzi, the Nassau County chief executive and a former candidate for governor; and the New York State attorney general, Andrew M. Cuomo.


Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company