Hillary's Big Shoes Just Got Filled By Some Very Small Feet... And We Tell You Where Caroline Is Going.

Kirsten Who? NY's New Senator Gets 'Gilli Wit It'...

Hey, what's Al 'Senator Pothole' D'Amato doing in this picture? He's a Republican. I was pretty stunned today when I heard that the powerful Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton will be filled by Kirsten Gillibrand. No, I never heard of her either. They list her as a second term congressperson, but that second term started a week ago. My guess was that it was going to be Andrew Cuomo, but I think he didn't want it.

It became obvious towards the end that NY Gov. Paterson was going to pick a female to succeed Clinton. If that were the case, Paterson could have chosen Louise Slaughter or Carolyn McCarthy, but Slaughter is older, and McCarthy is from Long Island and she's too liberal. So, instead of picking the most qualified and strongest candidate in 2010 when re-election time comes, Paterson picked the one who fills what they'd like the best. New York just lost billions of dollars in DC money, and most people know it.

Would things have been better if Caroline Kennedy were Paterson's choice? A little. She was unqualified and too green, but hse had the name to fill the void left by Clinton. So, why did she quit, and where does she go from here? I have a very interesting and exotic suggetsion for why and where she is headed. Yes, it has to do with her Uncle Ted's seizure, but not in the way you think.

Here is what will happen. Ted Kennedy is veyr sick, and he will not be serving as Senator by the end of the year. I'm not saying he will pass away, but his capacity to serve will be hindered. And Caroline will be there to fill Uncle Ted's shoes. Think about it. Which is the easier path - to take the NY Senate job, and have to fight off 50 other people in 2010, or take Ted's seat in Massachusetts, where Kennedy's are still given whatever they want, and ride off into the sunset for as long as she wants? I think I'm quite right on this one....

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