N.Y. gov said miffed at Kennedy backers

ALBANY, N.Y., Dec. 24 (UPI) -- New York Gov. David Paterson is annoyed that Caroline Kennedy's backers are saying a decision to appoint her as a U.S. senator is a done deal, sources say.

Kennedy, 51, daughter of former U.S. President John Kennedy and niece of Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., has announced she wants to be considered by Paterson for selection to fill out the term of Sen. Hillary Clinton, who has been tapped by President-elect Barack Obama for secretary of State. But Paterson is chafing at the tactics of some of Kennedy's backers, sources told Wednesday's New York Times.

The newspaper said unnamed aides to Paterson contend the governor is frustrated and chagrined because he believes Kennedy's operatives have exploited her opportunity to create a sense that she is all but appointed, viewing the moves as an attempt to box him in.

"You have people going around saying, 'Oh yeah, it's a done deal,'" one of the advisers told the Times. "The quickest way to not get something you want is to step into somebody's face."

Other New York Democrats, meanwhile, have come out against a possible Kennedy appointment because she is allegedly too close to independent New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.