Reports: Gillibrand Senate Announcement at Noon

While Governor Paterson won't say a word about who the next junior Senator from New York is until a press conference at noon, various aides—to him, to other well-placed Democrats—have leaked news that he will pick upstate Representative Kirsten Gillibrand. Gillibrand's NRA membership (she comes from a family of hunters!) and opposition to limiting sales of semi-automatic weapons (and cop-killing bullets) has concerned more liberal Democrats. Still, the NY Times say she is "known for bold political moves and centrist policy positions" while the Post's Jacob Gershman is aghast at the process, "As the ashes of Caroline Kennedy's brief foray into politics are shoveled away, New Yorkers are left with a sad irony: Battling corruption charges and staring down certain impeachment, Gov. Rod Blagojevich did a better job of picking a US senator than did David Paterson.... Blago may be headed to prison, but in executing the same responsibility that rests on Paterson, the Illinois governor was confident, shrewd, and decisive - the very qualities absent from our governor."