He's going to have to move around the state and it's harder to do that if county government is in an uproar over this partisan struggle.

(Pataki does) not view it as a way of discussing the issues of the state. It's about his image. He pounds away on themes: He's tough on crime. He's tough on taxes. He's tough on regulations. I would expect they stick to the formula.

If you do it right, the cooling off period is measured in minutes.

Paterson may make the difference in the primary if you're concerned about stimulating the New York City base.

It's about image development and that's it.

There is just no reason for allowing unfettered giving by lobbyists to lawmakers.

If there is a disclosure requirement, an official should adhere not to just the letter of the law, but the spirit of it . . . If there's doubt, that's what an ethics board is for.

This sounds like a legacy budget for the governor. He's trying to set a tone that's not confrontational in hopes of getting it through the Legislature.

Assuming these two members agree with the governor, they should lock in the far more restrictive interpretation than what is currently the practice.