As Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton stood at a Dec. 1 press conference in Chicago to announce her nomination as secretary of state, they promised the country, and the world, a much-needed push toward the restoration of world order.

It would be, Mr. Obama said, “a new beginning—a new dawn of American leadership to overcome the challenges of the 21st century.”

Except, perhaps, in the one place where order is needed most.

The terrorist attacks in Mumbai that killed more than 170 people have rendered instantly quaint the president-elect’s blueprint to use aggressive diplomacy to engineer a stable relationship between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan, and to formulate a regional approach to winning the war in Afghanistan.  read more »

For both Eric Gioia and Bill de Blasio, a seat on the City Council was always supposed to be a stepping-stone.

Mr. Gioia, 35, has been preparing for higher office since his election to the Council seven years ago, and has raised more money since then than all but three of his Council colleagues. Mr.  read more »

Although this page supported Barack Obama during the Democratic presidential primaries, we never questioned Hillary Clinton’s intelligence, competence and determination. Only a fool would do so. She has been an effective voice for the state in the Senate and proved to be a genuine consensus-builder in an increasingly divided and dysfunctional capital.

The president-elect could not have made a better choice for secretary of state. Mrs. Clinton has been a public figure of global significance for nearly two decades. Now, she will be the public face of the United States as a new administration seeks to mend international fences. For New York, of course, Mrs.  read more »

New York joins the world in mourning the horrific and senseless terrorist attacks in Mumbai last week, during which over 188 people lost their lives, and grief and fear flooded India’s financial capital. As home to one of the world’s most flourishing communities of Indian émigrés, New York shares a brotherly bond with Mumbai, now doubly reinforced by our own recent history of enduring terrorist violence. Just as the world’s hearts went out to New York after 9/11, New Yorkers now lean toward the citizens of Mumbai.

The terrorists chose to include among their targets potent symbols of Mumbai’s flourishing economy—the luxurious Taj Mahal Palace and Oberoi hotels, and the bustling Leopold Cafe.  read more »

David Paterson basks in Clinton-related attention.

According to Rick Karlin, in Albany, "Speculation about whether there will a retirement incentive has become something of a favorite indoor sport."  read more »

ALBANY—State Senator Carl Kruger said he doesn't know much of Tom Golisano, the upstate billionaire and three-time gubernatorial candidate, but stopped short of denying Liz's report that they will meet tomorrow.  read more »

In a brief scrum with reporters in City Hall this afternoon, Christine Quinn said she hoped New Yorkers gets the $400 rebate checks the mayor has tried to rescind.  read more »

ALBANY—The counsel for the Commission on Judicial Nomination, which yesterday released seven candidates to replace retiring Chief Judge Judith Kaye, said he cannot comment on specific deliberations of the group before it nominated an all-male, mostly white slate.  read more »

From PolitickerPA reported Dan Hirschhorn, at the National Governors Association in Philadelphia:

David Paterson reiterated today that he would take his time in choosing a Senate replacement for Hillary Clinton, and that no announcement would be made until after she is confirmed as secretary of state by the Senate.  read more »

]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/paterson-i-think-i-can-take-time#comments Politics Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:37:26 -0500 Katharine Jose 79641 at http://www.observer.com http://www.observer.com/2008/kruger-bankrolls-gang

ALBANY—A week before the election, State Senator Carl Kruger sent thousands of dollars to fellow members of the now "gang of three" senators, election filings  read more »

]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/kruger-bankrolls-gang#comments Politics Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:35:32 -0500 Jimmy Vielkind 79642 at http://www.observer.com