Paterson slams Reid comments -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY

[Victor Steinbok]

Paterson is really going out of his way to stick it to national Dems.

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=887515&category=STATE


  Paterson slams Reid comments

Governor calls remarks about Obama "reprehensible," but says Reid should
not quit
By *JIMMY VIELKIND*
<http://www.timesunion.com/TUNews/author/AuthorPage.aspx?AuthorNum=215>,
Capitol bureau
First published in print: Tuesday, January 12, 2010
ALBANY -- Gov. David Paterson said remarks about Barack Obama attributed
to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in a newly published book are
"reprehensible," but that Reid should not have to resign his leadership
position in that chamber.

In "Game Change," an insider account of the 2008 presidential election,
Reid was quoted as saying that then-Sen. Barack Obama would likely find
success as a candidate because he was "a light-skinned" African-American
"with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one." Reid was an early
supporter of Obama's bid.

"I have said this -- not only when it was a Democrat or when it was a
Republican -- that when people properly apologize for these types of
mistakes that it doesn't merit destroying their careers," Paterson told
reporters Monday.

"But I would say that I thought the comments not only were
reprehensible, but it's amazing to think to print a whole book that so
many people saw and nobody noticed that this ill-chosen remark was in
the book? Didn't anybody read the book before they put it out? I find it
kind of shocking."

In keeping with publishing tradition, the book's contents were kept
under wraps until its release date approached. The Reid comments and
other items concerning Hillary Rodham Clinton, Sarah Palin and other
2008 political personalities began appearing in print over the weekend;
the book hits shelves today.

"I'm just saying that it's disturbing a lot of people must of have seen
this," Paterson continued during a question-and-answer period after a
speech to Family Planning Advocates. "It's a very intrusive and kind of
degrading remark, but it's one that was probably close to a different
kind of way of phrasing it which might have been acceptable."

Some Republicans, including Republican National Committee Chairman
Michael Steele, have called for Reid to resign. Steele, like Paterson,
is black.

Jimmy Vielkind can be reached at 454-5081 or jvielkind at timesunion.com.

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