Caroline Kennedy (D) holds a large lead over Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) in a hypothetical 2010 New York Senate race, according to a recent Rasmussen poll (Jan. 6, 500 LV, MoE +/- 4.5%).

Kennedy 51
King 33
Someone else 9
Und 7

New York Gov. David Paterson has yet to announce his choice to succeed Hillary Clinton for the next two years. His choice could face King, who is being encouraged to run, in a 2010 special election.

Mary Mitchell's column today reminds me of something I should have pointed out more than a week ago, right after Bobby Rush finished racially blackmailing members of the United States Senate at the press conference announcing Roland Burris as Blagojevich's appointee.

Congressman Rush, the former Black Panther who said his "prayers had been answered" by the selection of African-American to replace Obama and who called the Senate the "last bastion of plantation politics," chose to back white gazillionaire Blair Hull in the 2004 Senate primary over, you guessed it, Barack Obama.

Of course, that may have been some political payback for Obama, who had the temerity to challenge Rush for his Congressional seat in 2000 (Rush crushed Obama in the heavily African-American district that year by attacking Obama as an interloper who was not authentically black), but still it's nice to know that Rush is perfectly fine backing "The Man" against a fellow African-American when it comes to carrying out his personal vendettas but will still beat white Senators over the head with the race card about Burris even when race has nothing to do with it.

Kit Bond, the Senior Senator from the Show-Me State, is hanging it up, reports Chris Cillizza. The move guarantees that Missouri will be one of the hottest battlefields in 2010, as Republicans try to hold on to another open Senate seat in a state where Democrats have made some gains at the state and federal level in recent years.

The American public's confidence in Barack Obama's ability to be a good president appears to be unwavering so far, according to Gallup, which has tracked Obama's confidence rating on a daily basis since his election in November.

Even Republicans (36%) are relatively confident in Obama, while only 7% of Democrats in the latest Gallup poll approve of the job President Bush is doing after eight years in office.

The lowest confidence level rating Obama's received since November is 63%, which he dipped to twice during that month. His highest rating, 70%, came two days ago.

Said to be mulling his own bid for the post, Florida Republican Party chairman Jim Greer instead announced today that he is throwing his support behind GOPAC chairman Michael Steele, the former lieutenant governor of Maryland.

"Michael has everything that the GOP desperately needs right now: the ability to communicate our message from a fresh point of view, an appreciation of how we can use technology to build the party, and the ability to reach out to new voters," Greer said in a press release.

Greer was in Washington this week, as were the six announced candidates who debated at the Americans for Tax Reform-sponsored event on Monday.

"I am grateful for Chairman Greer's support," Steele said in the press release distributed by the Florida GOP. "As the GOP Chairman in one of the largest states in the nation, Chairman Greer's support is critical to our campaign and takes it to a whole new level. He has been recognized as one of the most dynamic and successful state party chairs in the country and I look forward to working with him closely."

Sometimes an idea can be a "near miss," which is to say that it was close to being a good idea but crossed the line into a farce.

Example: if you told me that someone hired Joe the Plumber to travel around the country and do a series of 2-minute vignettes with working class families discussing taxes, the economy, life in small towns, etc, I'd say that's sounds like a pretty cool idea and a decent way of generating some PR for your organization.

If, on the other hand, you told me someone was sending Joe the Plumber into a war zone in the Middle East to report on a conflict that he appears to have no particular qualifications or expertise to cover, with the intent of letting Israel's  "'Average Joes' share their story," I'd say that sounds like one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard.

Maureen Dowd on Caroline Kennedy:

Ask not, you know, what your country can, like, do for you. Ask what you, um, can, you know, do for your country.

After a lifetime of shying away from the public spotlight, Caroline Kennedy asked herself what she could do for her country.

Her soft-spoken answer — to follow her father and two uncles and serve in the Senate — got her ripped to shreds in the, you know, press.

I know about “you knows.” I use that verbal crutch myself, a bad habit that develops from shyness and reticence about public speaking.

My how quickly the bar is lowered for a member of Camelot. Dowd would have skewered anyone (but most certainly a Republican) as a boob or a moron for similarly disastrous performances. But when it comes to sucking up to the Kennedys, MoDo breezily gives Caroline a pass.

Technically, there isn't a deal to seat Roland Burris yet, but from the news accounts you can hear the collective cry of "uncle" from Harry Reid, Senate Democrats, and the new President-elect, who said he would be happy to work with Mr. Burris moving forward.

Harry Reid is denying there's a deal to seat Burris, and while he may end up with egg on his face it's smart for Democrats to get this soap opera behind them as quickly as possible and get focused on a fast start to the legislative session.  It was silly and hasty for Reid, Obama, and the rest to try and block Burris from the Senate.  After their initial chest thumping they were left in an untenable position that only served to prolong the drama and enhance the circus-like atmosphere.

Burris is an ambitious ego-maniac with a long, if somewhat undistinguished career in public service. In other words, he'll fit perfectly in the Senate.  As Eric Zorn wrote the other day, "He's annoying, but he's not a nitwit, a kook or a criminal."

Republicans will have a chance to knock Burris off in two years (if he survives the Democratic primary), and it may take them that long to rebuild their organization and find a candidate who will stand a fighting chance winning statewide.

Yesterday marked the first time that all six announced candidates for chairman of the Republican National Committee were together in one room. The six participated in a debate sponsored by Americans for Tax Reform, which was held at the National Press Club in downtown Washington.

RCP's Greg Bobrinskoy covered the event. Over on the Crosstabs blog, he offers a rundown of the characters, the debate and the overall state of the RNC chair race.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has decided against running for the Senate. Bush had indicated his interest in the seat after incumbent Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) announced he would not seek re-election in 2010.

From a McClatchy Newspapers article, detailing Bush's decision, which he announced in e-mails to supporters today:

His e-mail says: "While I will always have more than fond memories of my years in public office and was humbled by the outpouring of support I received over the last few weeks, now is not my time to be running for office. To sum it up, in the words of Dr. Stephen Covey, I have decided to put First Things First. I will continue to stay involved in the advocacy of a vibrant, growing Republican Party and with it, 21st Century conservative solutions to the challenges we face."

You can read Bush's full statement here.

The Republican Party of Florida has released a statement that reassures constituents that all is not lost with this decision. From Florida GOP chair Jim Greer:

"While we are disappointed in former Governor Bush's decision not to seek this U.S. Senate seat, Florida Republicans can rest assured that we have a number of outstanding potential candidates. Under the leadership of Republicans like Senator Mel Martinez, former Governor Bush, and Governor Charlie Crist, the Republican Party of Florida has created a formidable cadre of qualified candidates for higher office, and we look forward to seeing their ideas for the future -- including lowering taxes on families and businesses and reigning in government spending -- in action during a spirited campaign."