Pataki?

The Albany Times-Union reports:

Here's the official word from David Catalfamo, Pataki's spokesman: "Governor Pataki is seriously considering getting into the 2012 race. He is deeply disappointed by President Obama's utter failure of leadership on the debt issue and in the lack of real solutions being offered by the current Republican field of candidates."

He would join 10 other declared, candidates, including the former governors of Utah and Massachusetts, many with active campaign operations in the early-primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Pataki lacks the infrastructure, his allies admit, but he has appeared in the states as a leader of two political action committees fighting the national debt and the health care reform law the President signed in 2010

...

Pataki would compete against more moderate candidates like Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman, and Rudy Giuliani, should he decide to formally enter the race.

And Pataki has a record more liberal than all of them.

Pataki has supported abortion rights for women, entered New York into the first mandatory cap and trade program to reduce CO2 emissions and signed the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act, a gay-rights law.

The actions made Pataki, a Westchester County resident who has been practicing law at a white shoe firm since leaving office, win votes from Democrats to keep him governor in New York, and could help him in a general election.

...

"It's only the stated goal that you're running for president, but there are other values. He gets press play that he can convert into money, status, and other things that are part of this," said Doug Muzzio, a professor of public affairs at Baruch College. "At the very least, he's got to be bored with his life, and looking at this Republican field like everyone else and saying, why not me?"

Might the GOP carry New York? After all, Obama's numbers there are not good. But in the end ... nah. It is just way too blue for a Republican to carry unless it's a landslide year such as 1984. In any case, Pataki is not going to be on the ticket. He's too liberal, too obscure, too late.