What the hell was D'Amato doing next to the gov. at the Gillibrand announcement?

[npincus]

Anybody know? I don't think he was mentioned (thanked) in her speech. He's a lobbyist these days... why was he standing front and center?

[FLAprogressive]

1. they're close friends which says a lot about her.

[Raineyb]

2. D'mento?

I dislike Gillibrand even more.

Regards

[hedgehog]

3. Scoring a free lunch?

[eleny]

4. I kept wondering about ham, I mean him, too

He even blocked her husband.

And what about the tall guy behind and just to the right of the speaker at the mic? He kept chewing. Looked like he was chewing some cud. I'm hoping that Letterman goofs on him tonight.

[Captain Hilts]

5. W H A T ?!?!?!

[blm]

6. Dems in NY have to pass banking industry's criteria, THEN they'll get pass from press.

.

[no_hypocrisy]

7. D'Amato put Pataki in the governor's office.

[DinahMoeHum]

8. Gillibrand once served as a summer intern on D'Amato's staff

a lifetime ago.

[Beacool]

9. Here's the reason:

Those upstate roots are deep. It turns out that Gillibrand has an interesting political pedigree of her own. Her father is Doug Rutnik, a well-known Republican lobbyist in Albany. (That probably explains the presence of former GOP Senator Alfonse D'Amato over her shoulder at the announcement news conference.)

http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2009/01/23/kirstin-gillibrand/