Paterson Plank Road

If Fred Dicker is right in the NY Post today, NY State might have to extend a certain road in New Jersey-Paterson Plank Road-the one near Rt. 3, right up through Rockland County and all the way up into Albany. Because if what Fred says is true, and Caroline Kennedy is a "lock" to be designated for the Clinton Senate seat, than we believe it will be David Paterson who will be walking the plank in November.

As one Democratic insider told Dicker: "Meanwhile, several Democrats pointed to Paterson's already-declining public-opinion poll numbers to warn that selecting Kennedy could worsen his chances to be elected next year. "The polls show Kennedy is not who the public wants, and every upstate newspaper has come out against her," noted a longtime Democratic operative. "Picking Caroline could turn into a disaster for Paterson," he continued."

A pick of Princess Caroline will also demonstrate that Paterson can be rolled by powerful monied forces-not a good sign for someone whose poll numbers are starting to soften: "A little-noticed Marist College poll last week showed Paterson, who became governor last March after Eliot Spitzer resigned amid a hooker scandal, with a rapidly declining job-approval rating."

Meanwhile, the process itself has become agonizing. As Liz Benjamin points out this morning in the NY Daily News: "My BlackBerry is emitting smoke from people e-mailing me the latest rumor. This whole thing has taken on a life of its own. There may be a method to this madness, but it's madness," one Democratic elected official said."

Thankfully, this whole drawn out drama will soon reach its thankful end; and its culmination will leave us with a better insight into the unelected governor-and how he perceives his upcoming election battle. Let's hope he chooses wisely.