By now, four days into Governor David Paterson's reign, one thing is clear: He never thought he was actually going to be governor. The loosey-goosey (and juicy!) way he's blended his personal and professional affairs don't reflect the kind of care and caution that most people who expect close scrutiny would have used. But Paterson is fully aware of that and is doing the best he can with the situation as it is. Democrats can only hope that he doesn't have any more big revelations, because if this goes on, Albany Republicans are going to start actively questioning his ethical authority. It's one thing to have good gossip about Paterson's girls — it's another to hear that he may have broken laws or the taxpayer's trust. Today it was confirmed that Paterson used his influence to get lover Diane Dixon a job at the Department of Education. We also learned that Paterson did indeed use campaign cash for a hotel hookup with Lila Kirton. (He billed it to "constituent services" — which, at least, was honest.) It was not lost on us that the first question Joe Bruno was asked during his pre-Spitzer-resignation press conference was whether he was next in line for the governorship. "That's what the State Constitution says," he explained. His lawyers, you see, had already looked into it.

Ed. Dept. Paterson Calls Got Gal a Job [NYP]
Gov. Paterson says he may have used campaign cash for hotel hookup [NYDN]