Politics on the Hudson

   Gov. David Paterson received a warm welcome this morning from the ladies of ABC’s “The View,” and former professional football quarterback Tim Hasselbeck, the husband of co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck and an ESPN analyst. (The Hasselbecks are switching jobs with each other today.) He talked about President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech last night, the planned 9/11 terrorism trials in New York City, and infidelities that he and his wife, Michelle, admitted to two years ago.

   Co-host Sherri Shepherd asked the governor about the infidelities, a question that tied in well with an upcoming segment on break-ups (spinning off the news that Elizabeth Edwards is splitting from husband John Edwards).

   “We had decided when we got married that if things were not working out for us, that we were going to still stay together, so we separated ourselves internally but we always stayed together because we didn’t want our children to go through the ravages of what were adult problems,” he said.

   About a year-and-a-half or two years later, the couple worked out their differences, “and as long as neither one of us had ever become governor, you never would have heard anymore about it,” the governor said.

   Hasselbeck asked the governor about a recent New York City tabloid story about Paterson having dinner with a female friend in New Jersey. The governor said he was talking with the woman about his family could help her, and they are just friends, although the tabloid cited sources that said they had been “canoodling.” Many people in the restaurant refuted those claims.

   “When you’re the governor of New York and New York is the epicenter of the economic crisis, you’re going to be in that sort of fishbowl and you’re going to be examined a lot. I’m certainly not immune to the kind of coverage that a lot of other public officials have had.

   Barbara Walters, the show’s founder, asked for Paterson’s take on Obama’s speech last night. She noted that Obama has not supported Paterson to run for election this year. (Her words: the president “has not been as supportive of you as he might have been.”) Paterson said he would give Obama an “A” on the speech.

   “Whatever you think of President Obama’s ideology and whichever way you think he’s taking the country, you have to admire his enhanced ability to connect with people, and you can see why so many people voted for him and so many people admire him who didn’t even vote for him,” Paterson said.

   “The fact is that he captured in my opinion the moral consciousness of the country last night by doing something I never saw a president do in a State of the Union address—he admitted to his mistakes, he said that politically his administration could have gone in different directions and I thought it would have been far more foresighted for some of his critics to have recognized his humanity in the speech and his honesty, even before they got to critiquing his programs,” the governor said.

   The governor said the United States is doing better than a year ago, Paterson said.

   “Now, did he solve all the country’s problems in one year? No, he didn’t. Could he probably have focused on the jobs program last summer rather than the Health Care Reform Act, which is a necessity, but it isn’t the day-t0-day necessity of not having work. Maybe so. But he actually understood that and let America know not only that he can give direction, but that he can listen,” the governor said.

   Paterson said that he has faith in capability of the federal government law enforcement and the military, but holding the 9/11 terrorism trials for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other suspected terrorists in New York City would cost a lot of money, tie up traffic and destroy the economic-development recovery in lower Manhattan. Officials should talk about the possibility of finding another venue, he said.

   “Every time there’s a loud noise during the two years of those trials, it’s going to frighten people, and I think New Yorkers have been through enough,” the governor said.

   Walters said at the end of the approximately seven minutes the governor was on that it was his first appearance, “but you’ve shown a sense of humor and a sensitivity and I think we’re all very happy that you’re on with us, we’re happy to have gotten to know you a little better today.”

   Co-host Whoopi Goldberg shook Paterson’s hand and said she is glad Paterson is the governor. “I know you have a tough job trying to take care of New York state and, you know, I just want to say, you know, I’m glad you’re doing the job you’re doing. That’s all.”

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