Report: Sen. Kennedy lobbying for niece

NEW YORK, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., reportedly has been working the phones to boost his niece, Caroline Kennedy, as Hillary Clinton's Senate replacement in New York.

Aides told The New York Times that Ted Kennedy, who has represented Massachusetts since 1962, has talked to New York Gov. David Paterson, who will name Clinton's replacement if she resigns from the U.S. Senate to become the next U.S. secretary of state. They said he has also talked to Sen. Charles Schumer, the senior senator from New York, and Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, now head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

One of his big arguments is that his niece, daughter of President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, would not need help from Paterson and Schumer for campaign funds.

Some in politics wonder if Caroline Kennedy, who has stayed out of the public eye for most of her adult life, really wants to run for office. Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., a close Paterson adviser, said she has the capacity for the job.

"That's the biggest decision she's got to make," he said. "Whether she'd want to leave her private life behind."