Caroline Kennedy clears political hurdle

By GottaLaff

When will all of this speculation and quibbling finally be dispensed with? It's so Campbell Brown ago. And as an aside, I never thought I'd see the day when the press (and so many others) would come down on, of all people, the universally beloved Caroline Kennedy.

That said, here's the latest boost for her pursuit of that coveted U.S. Senate seat:

Caroline Kennedy appears to have cleared a big hurdle in her quest to replace outgoing New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.

New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a powerful Democrat who has questioned whether Kennedy is the best choice to fill the likely vacant seat, said Wednesday he will support Kennedy should she ultimately be appointed to the post.

"I have determined there's a good possibility she will be the appointee of the governor," Silver told the New York Post. "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."

As opposed to:

Silver's comments differ markedly from his statements last week, when he suggested Kennedy is too closely allied with Michael Bloomberg, the Republican-turned-Independent New York City Mayor.

"If I were the governor, I would look and question whether this is the appointment I would want to make: whether her first obligation might be to the mayor of the City of New York, rather than to the governor who would be appointing her," Silver told an Albany radio station then.

So what changed?

In the interview with the Post, Silver acknowledged he is now more favorable of Kennedy than he was last week, and said she will likely help the governor get elected to a full term in 2010 if she is on the ballot herself.

"The governor, I think, wants to run [in 2010] with a strong candidate, and I'm sure…having a well-known woman on the ticket will be helpful," he said.

The preceding whiplash was brought to you by Democrats for Paterson.