Bill O'Reilly Doesn't Report Rumors

According to today's New York Times, Caroline Kennedy withdrew her name from consideration for Hillary Clinton's Senate seat because of an issue involving taxes and her undocumented housekeeper.

NYT:

Problems involving taxes and a household employee surfaced during the vetting of Caroline Kennedy and derailed her candidacy for the Senate, a person close to Gov. David A. Paterson said on Thursday, in an account at odds with Ms. Kennedy’s own description of her reasons for withdrawing.

The account emerged 14 hours after Ms. Kennedy announced that she was taking her name out of contention for the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton, and as Mr. Paterson, according to two Democrats told of his thinking, was leaning toward selecting Representative Kirsten E. Gillibrand, an upstate lawmaker in her second term in Congress.

Patterson's staff is now dumping on Kennedy, Check out this tidbit:

Hard feelings toward Ms. Kennedy were clearly building among the governor’s staff on Thursday, after a dramatic evening in which she was reported to be dropping out, then wavering, then ultimately, shortly after midnight on Thursday, issuing a statement ending her candidacy.

The person close to the governor said Mr. Paterson “never had any intention of picking Kennedy” because he had come to consider her unready for the job. The person did not describe the exact nature or seriousness of the tax and household employee issues.

Ouch. Being a New Yorker myself, I've been following this potential appointment closely. Looks now like Kirsten Gillibrand is gonna get it. Wish I knew more about her. Looks like Uncle Ted is rather ticked about how the whole thing unfolded.

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Chris Matthews hosted Joe Conason of the New York Observer and Dominic Carter of NewYork1 on Hardball today to talk about Caroline Kennedy filling Hillary Clinton's seat as the U.S. Senator from New York, and Carter reported this:

In terms of Governor Patterson, what I am hearing, Chris, is that this is -- the bottom line here -- a done deal. That it's hers if she wants it. She's going through, if you will, this tour of the state. As far as that poll you mentioned, Andrew Cuomo, the attorney general of this state, he may be up at this point because he has the advantage because he has actually been out there before New Yorkers as the state attorney general for almost two years. And I would venture to say that her numbers might be higher if New Yorkers knew more about her. But from what I am hearing, this is a done deal, in terms of if she wants it.

Conason then notes that if Carter "says it's a done deal, then I think maybe it is."

We'll see in the coming weeks and months whether she deserves it.

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The New York Times is reporting:

Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of an American political dynasty, has decided she will pursue the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, a person told of her decision said Monday.

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 that Gov. David A. Paterson consider her for the appointment. The governor was traveling to Utica today could not immediately be reached for comment.

We're still unsure whether a new Senator Kennedy is a good idea, mostly because we know so little about her. If she wants the seat, that's going to have to change. Already there's a backlash building, and it may turn out to be well earned.

The main criterion, I think, is that we need someone who can defeat Rudy Giuliani in the election to follow. Could Caroline do it? Perhaps. But we'd want to see more, thanks very much, before handing her the incumbency.

AP via YahooNews:

Caroline Kennedy has spoken to New York Gov. David Paterson about the Senate seat that will come open when Hillary Rodham Clinton becomes secretary of state, according to a person familiar with the conversation.

Kennedy reached out to the governor to discuss the Senate seat, according to the Democratic source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the conversation was private. The source would not disclose the details of the conversation.

Kennedy is the daughter of President John F. Kennedy and a niece of brothers Edward and Robert. Robert Kennedy held the New York seat from 1965 until his assassination in 1968.

As a prominent member of the Kennedy clan, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg is the kind of high-profile, historic figure who could overshadow many other New York politicians hoping to be Paterson's choice.

The governor has said he is in no rush to make a decision, and Clinton is not giving up the seat before she is confirmed as President-elect Barack Obama's secretary of state.

"The governor has not yet reached out to any potential candidates," said Paterson's spokesman, Errol Cockfield. "He has been approached by several candidates. Any discussions related to that selection are private and the governor will not comment about speculation before a decision is made."

Word of the conversation comes days after Kennedy's cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., announced he was not interested in the job — a move that sidesteps any messy interfamily competition.

Whoever Paterson appoints would serve for two years and then have to run in a special election in 2010, along with Paterson and New York's senior senator, Charles Schumer. The candidate would then have to run again in 2012.

Washington legacies just keep going and going and going...

Funny moment from Monday night. Wolf Blitzer asks Team Obama VP-vetter Caroline Kennedy for some behind-the-scenes details about the process and gets a great response.

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Blitzer: "But the decision formally not to go ahead and vet [Hillary Clinton], ask for the documents and interview her and all that, which is what you did with Senator Biden, Senator Bayh, and Governor Kaine, and the others..."

Kennedy: "Wow. You know an awful lot about this. Because I'm not gonna tell you anything else."

Blitzer: "Walk us through that process."

Kennedy: "No! I'm not gonna walk you through that decision. It's a confidential process."