The latest punch in the fight to be the Ground Zero rainmaker, Governor George "2008" Pataki told the Associated Press that he is still very involved in redevelopment plans. Right before the election, Mayor Michael "I need a new issue that won't fail me like the Olympics or a stadium in Manhattan" Bloomberg became very vocal with his ideas for jumpstarting World Trade Center redesign plans (for instance, one suggestion was to give WTC leaseholder Larry Silverstein $1 billion payout to get out of there), and many New Yorkers (at least ones in surveys) supported the idea of the Mayor taking reins at Ground Zero. But now, with his Republican "brethren" Bloomberg safely reelected, Pataki seems to be laying the groundwork for his post-gubernatorial aspirations. As showing that he is committed to making the World Trade Center a success, perhaps to translate the post-September 11 oversight into a presidential candidacy? The Observer says that Pataki and Bloomberg are now "Zero Buddies", even agreeing that some of the office space (there's 10 million square feet of it!) should be converted to residential use. Pataki told the AP, "I don't know that 10 million is the magic number. Down the road, I'm not going to project where things might be with office space demand five, 10 years from now." What will be interesting is how the various WTC bulidings' completions (2009? 2010?) and the various real estate markets will affect these plans of deeming space office or residential.