Obama launches press campaign to push Paterson out of NY governor race

(By Ed Morrissey, Hot Air) - What do party leaders do when an incumbent insists on running for re-election even when he’s polling just above ACORN a year before the election? Usually, they quietly signal a lack of support or find another job for them to take as an incentive to withdrawing and allowing a better candidate to sail through a primary without taking intra-party damage that could give the opposing party an advantage in the general election. And when that party leader is the current President of the United States, 'quietly' usually becomes 'sub-audible'.

Not for this President, however, as New York Governor David Paterson discovered when he opened his New York Times [yesterday] morning:

President Obama has sent a request to Gov. David A. Paterson that he withdraw from the New York governor’s race, fearing that Mr. Paterson cannot recover from his dismal political standing, according to two senior administration officials and a New York Democratic operative with direct knowledge of the situation.

The decision to ask Mr. Paterson to step aside was proposed by political advisers to Mr. Obama, but approved by the president himself, one of the administration officials said.

“Is there concern about the situation in New York? Absolutely,” the second administration official said Saturday evening. “Has that concern been conveyed to the governor? Yes.”

The administration officials and the Democratic operative spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions with the governor were intended to be confidential.

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