Taking a break from our new favorite woman scorned, let us now turn to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. Since her reelection bid is all but assured (sorry, John Spencer, you're only polling 31 percent), Clinton will begin fund-raising for swing-state Democrats in October.

A new Times poll shows 40 percent of New York Republicans approve of her job as senator. Hillary's ability to talk milk subsidies with upstate farmers is often cited as evidence that maybe she can hang with mill workers in Youngstown, too. Hillary's hoping — she even made up a funny little line for the Washington Post about her new Republican supporters: "'I've stopped asking them why and you know I have a little ceremony where they can go through absolution,' she laughed."

Ha ha ha. And we laugh with her. All the way to the chopping block — the same poll says only 50 percent of New Yorkers want her to run for president.

So this is how Rudy's loyalty is to be rewarded.

Two years ago, when Bernie Kerik's nomination to be chief of Homeland Security collapsed from a barrage of allegations about mistresses, misappropriations, mob ties, and missing nannies, Rudy Giuliani at first stood by his friend. Two weeks passed before the former mayor accepted Kerik's resignation from Giuliani Partners, which made some sense, given that Giuliani essentially created Kerik as a public figure, promoting him from driver to corrections chief to police commissioner.

Giuliani had no such bonds with Jeanine Pirro, and he ditched the histrionic AG candidate with blinding speed, pulling out of a fund-raiser moments after Pirro's bizarre I-didn't-bug-the-bastard press conference ended. But even though Pirro would seem to be the biggest loser at the moment, the pol who could ultimately suffer the most damage from Typhoid Bernie is Giuliani. The Daily News reports today that Kerik enlisted at least one spook who worked for Giuliani Partners to trail Al Pirro. The investigator was "moonlighting," says a Giuliani source.

Fine. The current mess is still a reminder that the former mayor's lucrative consulting firm could be a serious liability if he runs for president. Wayne Barrett's book Grand Illusion has done the best job of detailing the far-flung operations of Giuliani Partners, but the firm remains an underexplored story.

When Kerik quit in December 2004, Giuliani Partners renamed one division — Giuliani-Kerik LLC became Giuliani Safety & Security. When Kerik needed a gumshoe to track Al Pirro, he apparently turned to a guy who worked for Giuliani Safety & Security. The tabloids may be occupied with "stunning" "gal pals" at the moment. But from his years as a prosecutor, Giuliani surely knows one iron law about tapes and leaks: There are always more.

— Chris Smith

They're not the Clintons. They're not the Sopranos. They're the Pirros. And they've got our hearts by the kneecaps. Still, we worry. In today's accelerated media cycle, could even a story this great get swept from our national consciousness? How do we keep this week's "Political Wife Bugs Her Cheating Husband" from turning into next week's "Killer Shark Terrorizes Florida Beaches"?

Give it a "gate." Affixed to a -gate, no event can be smudged from the page of history. Some options: Algate, Berniegate, Stugotsgate, Gated Community Gate, Rejected HBO Pilot Gate, Crying Through Your Most Recent Collagen Injection Gate, Leave Him! Gate, Waste Management Gate, Who Will Tell the Children Gate, My Torment Is My Shield Gate, and, of course, Troopergate.

Back in July, Jeanine Pirro's first campaign ad mocked Andrew Cuomo's brief stint in the office of legendary Manhattan D.A. Robert Morgenthau. His tenure as a "junior prosecutor" lasted only 21 months, the spot said. As the gig in Morgenthau's office was likely arranged by Mario Cuomo, Andrew comes off looking more like Fredo Corleone than Atticus Finch.

But in her letter sent Thursday to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Pirro portrays Cuomo's relationship with his Morgenthau colleague Elliot Jacobson as evidence of a partisan witch hunt. But wait? Didn't her ad sneeringly recall that Cuomo served in the D.A.'s office "21 years ago"? What happened to hapless Andy restocking the copy machine?

Pirro has endowed Cuomo with the power to ring up old friends — who worked in different divisions of the D.A.'s office — and get them to embark on explosive crusades against political opponents.

So stand up, Miss Jeanine! Andrew Cuomo is passing.

Read Jeanine Pirro's letter to Alberto Gonzalez. [NYT]

• The Pirros, spanning time together. [NYT]
• Republicans don hazmat suits, jump in on Jeanine's behalf, pretty much. [NYT]
• Anyway, unless she dies, there's no way to get her off the ballot. [Crain's NY Business]
• Al is definitely punching above his weight in the "hot other woman" department.[NYDN]
• Reached for comment, Hot Other Woman says: Are you nuts? He nasty. [Journal-News]
• National Organization of Women, State Republicans thinking as one. [Albany Times Union]
• What do you do if your man is untrue? [NYP]
• Math not yet devised to calculate Spitzer advantage. [NYT]
• Lieberman's lead means old friends soon to offer tepid "Uh, hey, Joe. So, like, how was your summer?" [NYT]
• Feeling jealous during the Pirro thing, New Jersey does what it can to cough up a decent political scandal. [Newark Star-Ledger]

When Bill Clinton ran for president in the nineties, Hollywood rallied around him. His campaign coffers spilled over with money from A-list actors and studio honchos. His wife has similar star magnetism — Hillary's Senate campaign features checkbook cameos from Harvey Weinstein, Billy Crystal, Kim Cattrall, and Chris Rock.

But this year, New York –based movie stars aren't just jumping on Hill and Bill's bandwagon. The pet causes (and pet PACs) of the day include Barack Obama's Hopefund, Bob Casey's run to replace Rick Santorum in the Senate, and that kwiki mart of blue-state campaign financing: the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Here's where various boldfaced New Yorkers are placing some of their political bucks*:

Alec Baldwin
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee: $2,500
Tim Bishop for Congress (D-Suffolk County): $1,000

Ron Howard
Ciro D. Rodriguez for U.S. Congress: $500
Rodriguez, a Democrat, served in Congress from 1997 to 2002 but lost his seat to redistricting. He is running again following a Supreme Court ruling to redraw the district lines.
Political Action Committee of the Directors Guild of America: $1,200

Nora Ephron
Al Franken's Midwest Values PAC: $5,000

Marlo Thomas
Claire McCaskill for U.S. Senate: $2,100
McCaskill is the Missouri state auditor looking to unseat incumbent Republican Jim Talent in one of this year's closest contests.

Bob Weinstein
Rahm Emanuel's Our Common Values PAC: $5,000
Emanuel, a Democratic congressman from Illinois, also chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Midwest Values PAC: $5,000

Harvey Weinstein
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee: $26,700

Chevy Chase
Democratic National Committee: $25,000

Tim Robbins
John Hall for Congress: $2,500

Susan Sarandon
Bernie Sanders for Senate: $2,400
Sanders, an independent congressman from Vermont, is looking to fill the seat of retiring independent senator Jim Jeffords.

Rosie O'Donnell
Bob Casey for U.S. Senate: $2,100
Casey, a Democrat, wants to unseat Republican incumbent Rick Santorum.
Jeanine Pirro for New York Attorney General: $1,000

Kelsey Grammer
Rudy Giuliani's Solutions America PAC: $5,000

Jeffrey Wright
Barack Obama's Hopefund PAC: $2,500

*How much did your favorite celeb donate? Search the Federal Election Commission's Disclosure Database.

— Jon Steinberg

Jeanine Pirro is the first candidate of the YouTube age. At the beginning of the week, few New Yorkers knew who she was. Thanks to Wednesday's press conference, she could be a viral phenom.

The only precedent for a political snuff film this grisly is the closed-hearing video of Bill Clinton testifying during the Lewinsky scandal. The footage of Pirro's press conference is grainy and disjointed, like surveillance conducted by a stalker with a cell phone. Yet the creepy noir of it all manages to induce sympathy for a person who seemed beyond it.

Pirro has made prosecuting "predatory" sex offenders the theme of her campaign, pushing the notion of a suburban family under siege from unseen evils. Those politics often seemed forced; now they seem scarily, if unintentionally, authentic. This is the best campaign ad Pirro could ever run. And it didn't cost a thing.

We all enjoy speculating idly on Rudy Giuliani's presidential prospects. Can this maverick mixture of iron-jawed security hawk, pie-eyed corpo-idealist, and shrug-shouldered values relativist reinvent the moribund notion of the Northeastern Republican as national hopeful? Does a Rudy candidacy mean a coalition-strafing turf war between don't-dread-on-me capitalists and tread-on-you moralists? Or is America's Mayor just the man to assure security moms and the dads who love them that the Republican Party isn't going off a cliff in clown car?

Rudy could create a new GOP or destroy the old one. Or like Shiva, perhaps he could do both.

Some on the right say he can win. Some aren't sure.

But it's time to get out of idle and shift into speculative overdrive. Giuliani — who regularly told audiences that his speeches were only in support of GOP candidates running in 2006 — is giving a speech after Election Day. In Pennsylvania. In the same town that George W. Bush and John Kerry ran to after the 2004 conventions.

So it looks like quixotic homeboy George Pataki has some company in his full-on, pretty-much-definite charge for the White House.

• "What am I supposed to do, Bernie? Watch him f--- her every night? What am I supposed to do? I can go on the boat. I'll put the f-----g thing on myself." [NYDN]
• Hell hath no fury, Jeanine hath no future. [NYT]
• We can all take lessons from the Pirro probe. For instance, how do I bug my dirtbag spouse and avoid prison? [NYT]
• Sweatin' to the oldies: Al Pirro's greatest hits. [NYDN]
• Always the smooth operator, Bernie Kerik cut a plea to get out of Pirro investigation. [NYS]
• Rudy: No one deserves criticism for terrorism screwups. Not Bill Clinton, not George Bush. I'm Rudy Giuliani, and I approve this message. [AP]
• Hillary's Senate challenger becomes the first person no one cares about to enter Clinton-Fox terror spat. [Newsday]
• While scandal-scarred Hevesi looks for the off ramp, his opponent can't find his car keys. (In other news, we're running low on driving metaphors.) [NYT]
• Voters to City Council members: Leave your job. [NYP]
• We have to look upstate for competitive races. Here, a good, well-meaning person takes on a corrupt, venal person in House bid. [Albany Times Union]
• The GOP will not be bringing its big-big show back to New York. [NY1]

The news of the day — the week, the election? — is that Jeanine Pirro, Republican candidate for state attorney general is under investigation for wiretapping her husband. At an afternoon press conference, Pirro admitted to asking former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik to bug the family boat to determine if her husband — convicted tax evader Albert J. Pirro Jr. — was having an affair.

As political spouses go, Al is no Laura Bush. He spent eleven months in prison, fathered an illegitimate daughter during his marriage to Pirro, and was recently arrested for speeding. This latest disaster comes on the heels of the revelation that Pirro, as Westchester D.A., had ignored a call to examine DNA evidence that ultimately exonerated a murderer.

You almost have to admire the mixture of incompetence and fortitude that compels Jeanine Pirro to press on, Job-like, with her political career. She has to know these things can become public. She certainly doesn't do much to ensure they stay private (Holler, Bernie!), yet she ignores these probable pitfalls and continues to seek public office, at higher and higher levels.

In a certain sense, Pirro endures. Early this month, a win over Andrew Cuomo seemed, if not probable, at least possible. It might even have been a contest. Now, it looks assured that New York will be denied the thrill of the horse race in 2006.

Watch the press conference. (WNBC)

The Clinton-Fox-Condi-Hillary "terror wars" doubles match is fun tabloid fodder but a fiery blow to thoughtful public debate. As the ladies take this opportunity to make stern faces at each other, what they should really be doing is hugging.

Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice are both women behind hotheaded men who are alternately worshipped and despised. When Bill Clinton rages at Chris Wallace, Hillary defends him. When George W. Bush says something incomprehensible, Condi regurgitates his words in an educated, sensible manner. Together, they've shouldered a burden that should give them a bond.

But instead, they hiss at each other. In an effort to begin the healing, Early and Often invited Hillary and Condi to a pretend undisclosed location. The following détente ensued:

E&O: Well, the healing, let's get it rolling. Madame Secretary?

Condi: Well, first off, it's my job. I serve at the pleasure of the president of the United States. I respond to criticism of our foreign policy — be it from Bill Clinton or Hugo Chavez.

Hillary: Ah! See, right there, there is it. No shame, no shame at all with you people. I came in here in good faith — I canceled bingo in Peekskill. Seniors never forget, never.

I let you choose the bottled water. I …

Condi: It was just an example chosen at random.

Hillary: Whatever.

Condi: Indeed.

Hillary: Was Max Cleland an example chosen at random?

Condi: I don't even know what that means.

Hillary: Indeed.

Condi: Whatever.

[Rice's cell phone rings. Her ringtone is the theme from Dallas.]

Condi: I … I gotta take this … Hi … Yes. I'm in New York. Tonight, I'll be back down tonight.

What's wrong? What? Say it again. [Pauses, speaks in a stage whisper.] They're in the third drawer from the top, to the left, next to your golf shirts. [Turns to Clinton.] I'm sorry.

Hillary: Dress pants?

Condi: "Work" jeans. It's "brush-clearing day."

Hillary: I see.

[Pause]

Condi: [Perspiring] I'd rather you didn't witness that …

Hillary: It's fine.

[Five minutes of silence.]

Hillary: It's strange. These men we've chosen. Chelsea and I, we have our own language at this point. We didn't even have to make eye contact during that Fox thing. It's in the air.

Condi: It was what it was.

Hillary: It always is.

Condi: Indeed.

Mayor Bloomberg will make one of those rare appearances tonight that remind people he's a registered Republican. Bloomberg will speak at the retirement celebration for Staten Island State Senator John Marchi, according to his public schedule. No doubt Bloomberg would appear at a retirement celebration for an elder statesman of either party. But his attendance at Marchi's farewell is another example of how artfully Bloomberg has finessed his nominal party affiliation: Marchi is staunchly conservative, an old-school Republican so stalwart that back in 1969, he challenged incumbent mayor John Lindsay in the Republican primary because he thought Lindsay was too liberal — and beat him.

Marchi and Bloomberg maintain a cordial relationship, even though the mayor chose not to support Marchi's designated successor. Instead, Bloomberg made peace with city councilman Andrew Lanza, who four years ago stormed out of a meeting at Gracie Mansion when Bloomberg praised council Democrats for passing his property-tax increase. Lanza squeaked out a primary win three weeks ago, and his race is key to retaining Republican control of the State Senate in November.

— Chris Smith

Republican gubernatorial candidate John Faso and Democratic steamroller Eliot Spitzer sniped at each other during Tuesday night's debate. They predictably differed on taxes and education and the sudden hot topic of incumbent comptroller Alan Hevesi.

But the debate's comedic high point came from Faso, who warned of liberal gay rights during a Spitzer administration: "He's going to force gay marriage down the throats of many New Yorkers."

In response to the next question, Spitzer drily remarked that he would avoid Faso's "use of metaphors."

Zing!

• While you were watching Matlock — Spitzer and Faso debated who should govern you. (NYT)
• You can say anything in a debate and people will take it as fact, so here's a look at what was fact and what was factish. (NYT)
• Spitzer flexes, Faso needs to hit the gym. (NYDN)
• Hevesi's opponent getting a free ride from $82,000 screwup. (NYP)
• Pirro scores checks, catches heck. (NYT)
• Rudy to give speech, chase dream. (NYDN)
• Also in Pennsylvania, Bloomberg stays ballistic on gun lobby. (NYS)
• First Lady swoops in to help Utica rep: "In these troubled times, we need a man like INSERT NAME OF CANDIDATE — I mean, Ray Meier!" (AMNY)
• Tom Suozzi watches debate through blinding haze of bitterness. (Newsday)

State comptroller Alan Hevesi — the guy whose job it is to audit other state agencies and ensure fiscal responsibility — announced Monday that he'll pay New York State $82,688.82 to cover the three-year period in which a state employee was assigned to chauffeur his wife, Carol. Some perspective:

• $82,688.82 could buy Mrs. Hevesi 41,344 subway rides, with 82 cents left over for a cup of coffee at the bodega.
• $82,688.82 could buy Mrs. Hevesi 45,474 MetroCard swipes, when you include the free swipe that comes with every $10 added to a card, with $8.82 left over for a fancy Starbucks coffee and a muffin or two.
• $82,688.82 could buy Mrs. Hevesi 1,640 hours of deluxe-sedan car service from Carmel, including 20 percent tip, with $32.82 left over for dinner.
• $82,688.82 could buy Mrs. Hevesi a 34,451-mile cab ride, including a 20 percent tip, assuming she didn't hail it during the rush-hour or evening surcharge periods and she didn't get stuck in traffic.
• $82,688.82 could buy Mrs. Hevesi 6,890 hours, 31 minutes in a stopped or barely moving cab, assuming she puttered along in off-peak, daytime hours. She probably wouldn't tip, though.

— Jesse Oxfeld

Scrutinizing local politics is a big job, one that seems so much more fun with the Internet. Not only do political blogs span the ideological spectrum, but, at times, they're the only source of coverage for candidates looking to get a mention somewhere, anywhere.

Here's some of what we're reading:

• Just Hillary is just that.
• NYC Republicans wandering lonely in the wilderness, you've got a friend in Urban Elephants.
• Albany observers chronicle the grinding state-government machine at Capitol Confidential.
• If you're lonely for the camaraderie you felt in a jail cell during the 2004 GOP convention, read The Daily Gotham.
• Bill Clinton hoped Democrats would rise like a phoenix after his rant on Fox. Maybe, but first they have to figure out what they think about it. Arianna Huffington gets them going.
• There is not a race in the tri-state area The Empire Zone doesn't cover.
• Ben Smith's The Daily Politics: indefatigable.
• New York Observer's Politicker: indispensable.
• For its depth and breadth, nothing compares to Room 8.

George Pataki opened a campaign office in Iowa yesterday; the AP story added that the governor likes Iowans because they remind him of his upstate base. (Offices in New Hampshire and South Carolina are in the works.)

It makes perfect sense coming from a guy who's spent so much time playing the ersatz Midwesterner he's convinced himself he's the real thing. Pataki is the opposite of the farm boy hungry for a glimpse of the bright lights. Kids grow up in the Midwest, hear the Ramones, and dream of the Lower East Side. Pataki grew up in Peekskill, heard Paul Harvey, and longed for Council Bluffs.

But instead of following his imagination's wandering boot heels, he stayed home to punish the locals with his bitter fantasy of flat-soled Babbittry, like the town hipster who doesn't have the guts to try out the big city — Pataki vetoed a minimum-wage hike in 2004 and appealed a court order to increase city school funding. Finally, he's taking his first man steps into the promised land, but he does it weighed down with the ideological baggage a "moderate" accrues while governing a non-rectangular state. Pataki hopes to follow the trail of previous caucus winners like George W. Bush and Bob Dole, or even those who made a significant showing like Steve Forbes and Pat Buchanan. But Republican though he is, the pro-choice, pro-gay, anti-gun Pataki may appear to be something else entirely to the people of Iowa: a New Yorker.

Praying for a politics of hope? Well, the Democratic candidate for Congress in the Hudson Valley's Nineteenth District has been fighting for a better, groovier tomorrow for three decades. As co-leader of seventies soft-rock hit makers Orleans, John Hall mellowed out our worried post-Watergate minds with tunes like "Still the One" and "Dance With Me."

Hall, a longtime environmental activist, served two years in the Ulster County Legislature (1989–1991). He may be inexperienced, but he is no stranger to political conflict. When the Bush campaign used "Still the One" as a theme song, Hall sent over a cease-and-desist order. The president found another song.

"I thought it was pretty typical of this administration," Hall told the Times Herald-Record on September 17. "They assumed they could use anything they wanted without permission, and they were too incompetent to do a Google search and see that I had been elected as a Democrat."

Hall bested three other candidates in the Democratic primary, but the general election is more intimidating. Four-term GOP incumbent Sue Kelly may be vulnerable in a year when the Bush administration is up for a no-confidence vote, but she has nearly $1.3 million to Hall's not-quite $246,000 (as of August 23). Also, Hall's contemplation of impeachment could be a little much for this largely suburban district that elected George Bush by nine points over John Kerry.

So Hall is an inexperienced environmentalist liberal with no money in a conservative district.

But he's got what Kelly never will: He's got the beat. Sing it with me now:

Fantasy could never be so giving
I feel free I hope that you are willing
Pick the beat up and kick your feet up
Dance with me

Dance on, John Hall. Dance on.

John Hall for Congress
Sue Kelly for Congress

Hillary Clinton listed nearly a dozen reasons why she was happy to be in Binghamton, New York, Monday afternoon, from the chance to talk nanotechnology to the gorgeous fall foliage. About the only thing she didn't mention, but surely welcomed, was that not a single reporter or civilian asked whether she's running for president.

The senator spoke at a forum on venture capital organized by her office, the twelfth in a series of meetings that are part of her "New Jobs NY" initiative. Her visit to SUNY Binghamton lasted only an hour, but it was a vivid reminder of the upstate-downstate political divide. Not the one following conventional wisdom, that the city is more liberal and the rest of the state more conservative. This split is about priorities: Upstate wants to know what Clinton can do now, not what she's going to do in '08, which is the endless fixation back in the city.

Even the skeptics skipped the harangues about Bill and the scandals and went straight to practical problems. "We were devastated by the floods; we lost $300,000 in new equipment," said Anthony Skojec, a partner in an Internet startup. "FEMA has given us $465! I never much liked Hillary, but if she can do something about the red tape, we don't care what party she is."

"Given her baggage, I've been very pleasantly surprised at the energy and creativity she's brought to the job. And I'm a registered Republican," said Chris Forbes, the CEO of Knovel, a science-and-technology information company* with offices on Fifth Avenue and in downtown Binghamton. "Chuck Schumer has done many of the same things, and he's very accessible. But she brings that celebrity, and the spotlight helps get things done."

Even the two local TV reporters omitted the presidential question, replacing it with softballs about the venture-capital program. "Why bother?" said a glimmering blonde from the Fox affiliate. "She just says 'no' anyway. Or maybe we really are just nicer up here."

— Chris Smith

* Correction, September 26, 2006: We originally referred to Knovel as a venture-capital firm instead of a science-and-technology information company.

• Joe Lieberman nuances IndieRepubliDem war position, says Ned Lamont "fudged" his. (NYT)
• The George Pataki presidential soapbox racer has its first wheel. (NYDN)
• The free — really $82,000 — ride is over for comptroller Alan Hevesi's wife. (NYT)
• Hillary has a bug on her windshield, and its name is John Spencer. (AP)
• And she comes up with the right nonresponse half-endorsement of her husband's Fox performance. (Newsday)
• Schumer says thanks for the terror money, now how about some terror money? (NYS)
• New York's been batting zero in producing presidential nominees for over 50 years. Can Rudy or Hillary break the streak? (NYS)
• Condi says Bill Clinton didn't leave Bush with a decent terror plan, isn't right on Bush pre-9/11 strategy, secretly wants to make out with Osama, hates pets. (NYP)
• Conservative Party candidate Robert J. Helbock plays for the team and clears out of three-way State Senate race. (NYT)

There's been a sudden shakeup in Eliot Spitzer's debate prep. Jef Pollock, his campaign pollster, had been playing John Faso in informal mock-debate sessions until 6 a.m. today — when Pollock's wife went into labor. Stepping into the Republican role for the final session is Justin Lapatine, also of Global Strategy Group, who happens to be a little more Faso-esque in height and girth. Congratulations to the Pollocks on the creation of another Democratic voter.

— Chris Smith

Barack Obama in Washington earlier this month.Photograph by Brigitte Lacombe

Keywords: presidential run, bi-racial, RFK, Kenya, memoirs, authentic, campaign book, John McCain, "post-ideological candidate"

The details: Barack Obama is tired of the sixties; women love him; he might run for president some day; Audacity of Hope, his new tome, is a campaign book; midterm elections will be "silly season" for Democrats; Daily Kos doesn't surprise him; only in America.

Crucial quote: "I mean, the fact that I conjugate my verbs and, you know, speak in a typical midwestern-newscaster voice — there's no doubt this helps ease communication between myself and white audiences. And there's no doubt that when I'm with a black audience, I slip into a slightly different dialect. But the point is, I don't feel the need to talk in a certain way before a white audience. And I don't feel the need to speak a certain way in front of a black audience. There's a level of self-consciousness about these issues the previous generation had to negotiate that I don't feel I have to."

Takeaway: Obama could potentially transcend racial politics.

Read the full text.

Bob HardtCourtesy of NY1

The debate, at 7 p.m., will be broadcast by NY1, whose political director, Bob Hardt, is nearly as big a player in state politics as the candidates. He spoke to New York's Chris Smith.

Spitzer has a huge lead in the polls over Faso. What do you think the debate goal is for each candidate?

The debate that we had between Spitzer and Tom Suozzi in the Democratic primary race shows that it isn't in Spitzer's DNA to just sit there when he's attacked or respond only by citing his achievements as state attorney general. Spitzer will bring the fight to Faso and question many of his votes and positions he took while minority leader of the state assembly. Faso, in turn, will continue his attacks on Spitzer, how be believes Spitzer has been less sheriff and more bully when it comes to Wall Street.

For you as NY1's political producer, what makes a "successful" debate?

Anytime you can combine great style with actual substance, you have a winner on your hands. The Spitzer-Suozzi debate was great not only because it was fascinating to see these guys mix it up, but also because you left the debate knowing that they had actual differences when it comes to policy. A lot of people loved the McFarland-Spencer Senate debate because it was so muddy — but their ideological differences were starkly highlighted as well.

Any subject on which you're particularly interested in their answers?

Yes, but then I'd be revealing some of our questions to them.

NY1's "Lightning Round" has become famous and is surprisingly revealing. I'm disappointed to hear it won't be used in this debate. But what are some rejected "Lightning Round" questions from previous debates?

There was one where we were thinking of amping up the marijuana question and asking, "Have you ever tried cocaine?" But our political anchor, Dominic Carter, pointed out that no matter what else happened in the debate, that's all that people would be talking about the next day. He was 100 percent right, and we shelved it. As much fun as the lightning round is, we've decided forego it this fall. Some of our panelists were getting to ask just one question per debate, and we wanted to have a chance for each panelist to ask two questions. We'll bring back the lightning round, but it needs a little vacation.

What's the oddest request or demand a candidate has made pre-debate?

One candidate wanted a big bowl of green M&Ms in his dressing room that I had to taste in front of him before he'd eat any. Seriously, nothing too weird on that front.

Are briefing books allowed?

As Tom Suozzi knows all too well, no.

The candidates stage mock debates to prepare. Does NY1 do that with your moderator and/or the other panelists?

We really don't. We will meet and try to think of a lame way a candidate could answer each question and then either try to fine-tune the question or think of a really good follow-up. There is no way to keep candidates from deciding to duck a question, but we'll try to make it look bad for them if they're not addressing the question's substance.

What do you think was creating those mysterious bulges under Bush's suit coat in that debate with Kerry?

A lot of political pride.

Democratic governor-in-waiting Eliot Spitzer can come off as a bit of a wisenheimer, but that plays better in New York than, say, Texas. His extensive knowledge of nearly everything frightens his staff, flattens his opponents, and fatigues reporters. The Spitzer Intellect can appear at any time, in response to even the simplest query.

To wit: Here's a recent answer. What question prompted such dedication to detail?

"The premise of the question is flawed. Most of the PCBs that GE discharged into the Hudson River from their Hudson Falls and Fort Edward facilities were discharged illegally, without the consent of government permits. When permits were finally obtained by GE, they were often exceeded. GE's PCBs have had a devastating impact on the Hudson River, resulting in the closing of most of the commercial fishery due to high levels of PCBs in the fish. The federal Superfund law requires that polluters pay the full cost of cleanup of past pollution — not the taxpayers. I fully support the PCB dredging project and further expect GE to be held accountable in the Natural Resource Damage claim that has been filed by the government and which I also fully support. The time has long passed for GE to remove their toxic PCBs from the Hudson."

Was it:

a) "Isn't the Hudson River Valley lovely this time of year?"
b) "Do you enjoy outdoor activities such as fishing?"
c) "Daddy, will you tell me a bedtime story?"
d) "Should General Electric Co. have been forced to dredge the Hudson River to remove PCBs it deposited there before the dumping was made illegal?"

The answer is …

In another state, John Faso would be the guy with money. He's a Republican. A lawyer. He considers Eliot Spitzer's crusade against corporate corruption bad for business, and he's proposed a sweeping Bushian tax overhaul.

Instead, his war chest could barely fund a game of Battleship — as of July 15, the Faso campaign had $1.4 million; Spitzer reported $8.5 million on September 22 — and his first ad is a study in anti-capitalist aesthetics.

A lone lightbulb dangles in a dank basement that might double as an anarchist squat. A woman's warning voice lists Spitzer's intended sins — increased spending and higher taxes — that will further lay waste to the upstate economy. "If Eliot Spitzer gets his way, it may be time for the last one in upstate New York to turn out the light." Click. Darkness. Not exactly a vision of hope and promise for a better tomorrow, but upstate fearmongering is a necessary element of any New York campaign.

On a side note, who or what is The Last One? And is there anything we can do personally to help him, her, or it in this apparent time of crisis?

• The Department of Homeland Security has boosted anti-terror funding for New York by 300 percent. (New York Daily News)


• GOP gubernatorial candidate John Faso, low on cash, is asking party leaders to pay for lawn signs. (New York Times)


• Jerry Falwell calls Hillary "worse than Lucifer" and claims her presidential run will spark the evangelical base. But dwindling GOP donor contributions suggest less enthusiasm for a showdown with our junior senator. (Los Angeles Times; Daily News")


• Bill Clinton's stock Hillary '08 answer has moved from "if she won, she'd be great" to "she can win." (New York Post)


• As Andrew Cuomo spent money on his primary bid, GOP opponent Jeanine Pirro collected cash and hired Nelson Peltz as her finance chair. Cuomo's people are a little worried. (New York Magazine)


• Connecticut's longest-serving representative, Nancy L. Johnson, is feeling some heat in her bid to win a thirteenth term. Her solution is to switch her M.O. from gentle moderate to red-meat security hawk — following the Republican national strategy in a state where Bush polls 30 percent. New York Republicans are not following her lead. (New York Times; The Journal News)


• Condi signed off on documents that said it was "safe to breathe" the air at ground zero. (New York Post)


• Newsday's reporters and editors union contributed to politicians the paper covers, violating its ethics rules. The Post is happy. (New York Post)


• What's an election without concerns about electronic voting machines? Fortunately, New York demands a paper trail. (New York Times; Electionline.org)


• Adam Nagourney with a version of this year's hot political trend piece: Will 2006 be a Democratic mirror image of the Republican takeover of 1994? He focuses on party tactics rather than national mood and finds the opposition party with numerous impediments, from organization to message to Howard Dean's inability to raise money. (New York Times)


• Say good-bye to Congressman Major Owens, who's stepping down after 24 years representing the 11th Congressional District. He's a little upset his son got blown out in the four-way war for his seat, but he's looking forward to finishing his play, Tom and Sally, about Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hennings. (New York Daily News)


• Green Party co-founder and perennial candidate Howie Hawkins is running for Senate and predictably attacks Hillary on health care and Iraq. (Finger Lakes Times)

The phrase "vote early and often" evokes a special time for our democracy — an era of smoky rooms and enfranchised corpses. Our hat-wearing, cigar-chomping forebears are gone, but today's political characters are just as entertaining.

Early and often also describes our publishing schedule. From now till Election Day, we'll examine local and state races with an eye on the personalities and tactics behind them. We'll scour campaign finance reports to show you who is giving what to whom. We'll introduce you to candidates who have no chance and tense races you've never heard of. Along the way, we'll stop for frequent digressions into the larger world of New York politics, like our fastidiously overachieving mayor or our surfeit of presidential hopefuls.

New York's political correspondent, Chris Smith, will occasionally share his insight and information here. But our main contributor, Jon Dolan, has spent the past decade writing about entertainment for money and following politics for entertainment. He'll be daily sifting through official and anecdotal journalistic venues, working the phones, and greasing the Palm Pilots of power for your benefit.