Paterson on Staying Governor: "I Love This Game!"

Governor Paterson's insistence on running to stay in the governor's mansion next year may have less to do with his concern for the Democrats and more to do with his love of the party. Yesterday the governor explained why he is so headstrong in sticking around despite suggestions to the contrary from some pretty heavy hitters. Paterson said, "It has been the most exciting time in my life. It has been the most challenging time in my life. ... I'm gonna keep doing it until the public tells me it's time to stop."

And while only eighty percent of the public has told him to stop in several polls over the last few months, today the New York Times joined President Obama's call for Paterson to step down next year with an editorial telling him to simply make the best of his remaining year in office. And while the Times thinks that Paterson not running would be best for New York, it adds that their stance doesn't "make the White House’s attempt to shove him out of the election next year any less unwelcome and amateurish."

Paterson will be on Meet the Press tomorrow morning, apparently still on speaking terms with NBC after being lampooned on SNL again Thursday night. Yesterday he continued to distance himself from comments he made earlier in the week suggesting cronies of Andrew Cuomo were connected to leaking the story of Obama's kiss off, which of course he says may or may not have happened.