The Sharpton-Koch Blessing Way

Photograph of former mayor Ed Koch receiving a blessing from the Reverend Al Sharpton by Tim Roske/AP

Yesterday Governor David Paterson proclaimed "We're going to work together." And one good example of the high feeling of unity at Paterson's swearing-in was former mayor Ed Koch and the Reverend Al Sharpton's exchange.

Sharpton gave Koch a blessing and laughingly told the NY Times, "I was praying for his sins. Times heal some of the emotions. Even though we may have some problems, the fact that he and I could joke at the swearing-in of David Paterson, who used to march with me against Koch, tells you how far we have come as a state.”

Koch and Sharpton have had a rocky past but are friendly these days. In 2001, in a joint interview with New York magazine, Sharpton said, "But I'm not anti-Semitic or anti-white. I think black-Jewish relations are one of the most important issues to be resolved, and I'm working on it." And Koch said at Sharpton's National Action Network Conference last year, "If you would have apologized for the Tawana Brawley hoax, you'd be a crossover leader."