Back from Iraq, with Sen. candidates
Posted: Wednesday, December 24, 2008 4:33 PM by Domenico Montanaro
From NBC’s Lauren Appelbaum
After returning from Iraq, Afghanistan and Germany this afternoon, Gov. David A. Paterson (D-NY) held a media availability with two New York congressmen, Representatives Steve Israel and Anthony Weiner. Reporters peppered them with questions concerning the replacement of Sen. Hillary Clinton's seat in the United States Senate.
"Whatever people say, whatever people want to infer, whatever people choose to think, that decision is one that I'm taking very seriously, because I'm being asked to substitute for the public, which will give its final verdict two years later," Paterson said at LaGuardia Airport, Marine Air Terminal in Flushing. "And I assure you, no person will influence me, coerce me, or in any way cause me to do anything other than what is my best judgment."
When asked about Caroline Kennedy, Paterson knocked down the idea she is the front-runner but said little more in specifics about her. He stressed he would not be announcing his appointment until Clinton is confirmed as Secretary of State.
Paterson called fellow traveler Israel "highly qualified" for the position. The two had met in the governor's office on Friday, Dec. 12th to discuss Israel's interest in the seat. But Paterson explained they wanted to avoid upsetting anyone because they were spending so much time together during this trip. He said they had no intention of discussing the seat during the trip but did discuss newspaper articles, which included quotes "sounding more like the prelude to a high school prom than the choosing of a United States Senator."
"We found it rather amusing," Paterson said, "but we were much more engrossed with the plight of our troops in Afghanistan and in Iraq and the prospect of peace in those regions."
When reporters asked Israel why he wants the appointment, the congressman focused on his current obligation as a member of the House of Representatives, which he said he was doing during this trip.
"I'm sure that the governor will make the best decision for the people of the state of New York," Israel said.
Weiner declined to answer any questions pertaining to this topic.
"This is a decision for the governor to make and the governor alone, and he'll have to make those judgments," the congressman said. "I want to be the only member of the congressional delegation not commenting on this for a while."
The three officials also stressed Iraq's situation has improved, but Afghanistan's situation has worsened. Paterson said he was "quite amazed" at Iraq's progress and credited the Iraqi people for choosing democracy over an Al Qaeda-led government. Regarding Afghanistan, however, Paterson said the situation was "deteriorating" due to greater border conflicts and the Taliban.
"Iraq is as good as it's going to get; I've never seen it better than I saw it in the past two days," added Israel, who has been to the region six times. "But I have never seen Afghanistan more challenging than I have seen it. It has deteriorated badly."
