Caroline Seems Sweet (and Smart!) to Shelly

Caroline Kennedy may have been a hot mess with the press, but suddenly Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver, who questioned her abilities not that long ago, is singing her praises.

Silver told the Post, "I have determined there's a good possibility she will be the appointee of the governor. If she is the appointee of the governor, I will certainly be supportive of her. I will work for her and will work strenuously for her election." He also spoke to WCBS 2, "She's obviously very bright. She's been around politics her whole life." WCBS 2's Marcia Kramer adds, "In a sign that Kennedy is starting to move to the front of the pack, sources close to Gov. Paterson admitted that they had a hand in Silver's change of heart."

And while there's been talk that NYC Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey (aka the architect of Mayor Bloomberg's re-election win) was told to "rein it in" by Kennedy's camp, who have been worried about misfires (especially since Silver is no fan of Bloomberg or Sheekey), Sheekey's been giving comments to the press about Kennedy. He told the Post, "New York needs someone who can work with the new president. New York needs someone who supported the new president," while proclaiming to the Daily News, "The idea that we would pass up appointing someone to the Senate who is both a friend and a critical supporter of Barack Obama is political malpractice. If Caroline is appointed, Barack Obama has to come to New York as his first political trip to ... support her and, in turn, New York."