“His problem is he’s saying, ‘I want so-and-so as a chair,’ and he’s not saying, ‘And I want to run for governor,’” said Cox in an interview last week about his bid for the state Republican Party chairmanship. “It’s something he’s put off time and time again.”

“So, there’s a lot of skepticism in the base as to whether he is really serious about running for governor. And so, they’re saying, ‘Unless you’re serious about running for governor, then you don’t have your choice of chair. And even there, we’re not sure.'".

Cox also said, deliberately, that if Giuliani were to run, and win, he would be closing the door on a presidential race in 2012.

“Look,” said Cox. “You pledge to the people of New York you’re going to serve as governor for tough times—remember, he said that, at the Crain’s event, that New York is really in bad shape, like New York City was, they need someone like me 'cause I can really turn things around, then I’ll do it. So, in that situation, after pledging that, and the people of New York State electing you to turn the state around, how could you then turn around and start running for president right after you’ve been elected? You can’t do that.”

Cox's main rival, Henry Wojtaszek, is the chairman from Niagra County, and has the support of Giuliani, George Pataki, outgoing chairman Joe Mondello and former Representative Tom Reynolds.

In the course of the interview, Cox did his best to remain positive about the opposition to his candidacy being fueled in an increasingly conspicuous way, by the former mayor—who Cox worked against, on behalf of John McCain, in last year's presidential primary—as well as the former governor and other notable Republicans. He cast it as a sign of his “independence” and said that he’d work cooperatively with activists in the party, who, he said, were dictated to under Pataki and ignored by Giuliani.

In response to solicitations by Giuliani aides canvassing for potential Wojtaszek supporters, Cox said, chairmen who are supporting him “gave some pretty strong messages back as to what they wanted and why they were doing what they were doing, in supporting someone who would be independent, who would not be beholden to any candidate and would work in the best interest of the party in putting forward a friend, not someone who made him the chair.”

In the party's reduced circumstances, Cox said, the chairs simply won't stand for a pliant new leader to replace the ineffective old one.

“Suddenly, there’s an outlet for their position,” said Cox. “And they said now we can have a real Republican Party that stands for Republican principles that’s going to be independent, strong, and select the right candidates. Given that vision, someone comes up and says, ‘I got my friend here. I want my friend here,’ and someone comes in and says, ‘I want someone who is loyal to me because I might do something in the future.’ They are going to express their point of view.

“You can only hit your head against a brick wall so many times, and [Giuliani's] people and Henry have hit their heads against brick walls. So, this is a brief little episode, as were the other little episodes with people trying to challenge what the base of the party is doing here. This train is moving and it’s just going to keep moving and there really hasn’t been any impact, except in the press, obviously, because of the kind of celebrity interest and all that.”

When Ray Meier was still serving in the State Senate, he would run into Representative John McHugh at this event, and others like it, from time to time. "McHugh would come in with these binders filled with all kinds of material," Meier recalled on Tuesday, "and then never have to refer to them because he knew this stuff."

When Barack Obama nominated McHugh to be Secretary of the Army Tuesday, McHugh, who is serving his ninth term, was probably already looking for a new post. There was a good chance he would have been out of a job after the 2010 redistricting, and he was one of only three Republican members of Congress left in the New York delegation. 

People who know McHugh describe him as a policy wonk who has kept a pretty low profile while representing a large, somewhat remote, and almost all rural congressional district.  A political moderate, McHugh voted with Democrats 26 percent of the time in 2007-2008, according to Congressional Quarterly. Other than his work on military issues, McHugh's biggest accomplishment in Congress was a major, much-needed overhaul of the U.S. Postal Service—not exactly the sort of thing that gets a lot of press.

In short, he's exactly the kind of guy you would reach across the aisle to hire.

"The amount of work he did in the subcommittee on the Post Office showed the type of trench work he did on public policy—both national issues and local issues," said Tom Reynolds, who served with McHugh in both the State Senate and the House, and has known him for 25 years. "Anyone who would assume [they knew] what McHugh was going to do was going to make a dire mistake, because his methodical thought process would lead him to a conclusion that was custom-fit for McHugh."

Obama cited McHugh's independence when he announced the nomination.

McHugh was born and raised in Watertown, and graduated from the public high school there in 1966 before heading to Utica College, where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science, according to his official biography. (He later earned a master's degree in public policy from the Rockefeller Institute of the University at Albany.) He spent five years as an assistant to the city manager in Watertown, and then worked for nine years as a staffer to State Senator H. Douglas Barclay. In 1984, McHugh was elected as Barclay's replacement. He served in the Senate until 1992, when he was elected to the House of Representatives.

There, he quietly climbed the ladder, and is now the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee. He has fought tooth-and-nail to expand Fort Drum, the sprawling military base that is home to, among other units, the 10th Mountain Division. It lies just northeast of McHugh's home city, and is the largest employer in the district. It's important enough to the district that in 2004, he and Hillary Clinton wrote a letter to the fictional "West Wing" character Josh Lyman, who had proposed—on the show—closing Fort Drum.

McHugh recently made news by pushing for greater involvement for lawmakers in the Defense Department's decisions regarding contracts for weapons. 

"He has been at the forefront of military personnel issues," said Representative Eric Massa, a freshman Democrat who first met McHugh in 2003, when Massa was a naval liaison in Washington. "This is someone whom we would all turn to almost automatically for help and guidance with respect to all things military-personnel."

"John McHugh has always been a force of moderation on all issues," Massa continued. "Even when he would disagree with a particular position, he was able to do it in a manner that was non-confrontational, and one that left all parties thinking reconciliation."

The response to McHugh's nomination from Democrats, as well as Republicans, has been resoundingly positive.

(It should be noted that the nomination was also a political victory for Democrats, something that has been already been addresed by Republicans. They have not been able to unseat him—he was re-elected by a large margin in both 2006 and 2008. That said, without a doubt he really is well-respected and well-liked)

Massa called it "frankly brilliant." Representative Steve Israel, a Long Island Democrat who also sits on the Armed Services Committee, said he was "very excited to see John taking this post. This is a choice that is good for New York and good for the United States Army."

Senator Chuck Schumer called McHugh a "good friend" and vowed to work for his swift confirmation.

The lobbying firm was raided by the FBI, which is investigating possible illegal contributions to Murtha and other officials. None of the aforementioned New York lawmakers are implicated in the fund-raising side of it.

As Azi reported yesterday, Mike Bloomberg doesn’t seem to be a fan of the sweeping Energy Bill that President Bush signed yesterday – in particular, its mandate for an massive increase in ethanol production.

Bloomberg called the ethanol provision “an outrage” and said it would drive up food costs and “have worldwide implications on the food supply.” Ethanol, of course, is a sacred product in Iowa, the key caucus that the presidential candidates dare not offend.

So did New York’s Congressional delegation agree with the mayor? Apparently not: 28 of 29 New Yorkers in the House voted for the bill when it came up for its final vote last week (it cleared the chamber on a 314-100 vote). The lone exception was Staten Island’s Vito Fossella, who didn’t show up to vote. The bill cleared the Senate on an 86-8 vote, with Chuck Schumer voting yes and Hillary Clinton, perhaps too busy campaigning in Iowa, not voting.

In fairness, earlier versions of the bill produced slightly less unanimity. The initial version passed by the House (on a 264-143 vote) was supported by all of New York’s Democrats but only three Republicans: Randy Kuhl, John McHugh and Jim Walsh. Tom Reynolds, Peter King, and Fossella votes against it.

What's interesting is that this is the same issue Eliot Spitzer has been pushing and threatened to sue Bush administration over. Which, I guess, means he and the health care union he fought against so bitterly earlier in his term are back on the same page. About something, anyway.

Union spokesman Stefan Friedman said the ad buys were in the six-figure range.

Congressmen Vito Fossella, Tom Reynolds and Randy Kuhl are undecided about the resolution opposing a troop surge in Iraq.

Tom DiNapoli was the recipient of some Suspicious white powder.

Former CIA Director George Tenet has a book due out this spring.

Eliot Spitzer showed a kinder, gentler side during a budget tour near Albany.

Michael Bloomberg wants more federal money for victims of September 11th.

Praise for Assembly Republicans, courtesy of The Brennan Center.

Newly elected state Senator Craig Johnson is on the environment, ethics and local government committees.

Does Rudy Giuliani care more about global warming than Al Gore?

JP, writing on Room 8, says today's Q poll about Eliot Spitzer is worthless.

Paris has a plan to reduce traffic 40 percent by 2020.

Chuck Bennett has a map of where exactly the 2nd Avenue subway line will go.

Even 7-year-olds are talking about the 2008 race.

And pictured above is the book Spitzer brought, and autographed for the newborn baby girl of Tom and Jackie Casey, whose home he and dozens of reporters invaded to witness a talk about the budget.

-- Azi Paybarah

Another embattled upstate congressman, Tom Reynolds, is holding off his challenger, Jack Davis, 54-46 with about 7 percent of the votes counted.

-- Azi Paybarah

Democrats Mike Arcuri in the 24th District and Kristen Gillibrand in the 20th have jumped out to narrow early leads. Both seats have been eyed lustily by national Democrats as part of their effort to wrest the House from the GOP. Also, Dan Maffei, a former Congressional aide, is running even with incumbent Republican Jim Walsh in the Syracuse-area 25th District, and Eric Massa is slightly behind Republican incumbent Randy Kuhl in the 29th District.

With about 10 percent of the vote in, Tom Reynolds, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, holds an eight-point edge over Democrat Jack Davis in the 26th District, where the results figure to say something about the locals' response to Reynolds' role in the Mark Foley affair.

-- Steve Kornacki

Here is an unusual piece of literature from Rep. Vito Fossella's campaign, which features the image of Osama Bin Laden.

Next to the phrase "Steve Harrison opposes key tools in the war on terrorism" is a headshot of Bin Laden, somebody the Republican Party hasn't been very keen on mentioning lately.

The strategy for most Republicans this year has been to focus on local issues - like Tom Reynolds and the snow storm in Buffalo. Fossella, then, is that rarest of Republicans who appears to be trying to nationalize his race in what is expected to be a pretty dismal year for the GOP.

(Note the kicker: "Steve Harrison: Wacky Ideas...Wrong for Staten Island.")

Note: This piece of literature also got some attention here.

-- Azi Paybarah

That having been said, this headline, on a new release from the New York State Democratic Committee, is something of a stand-out.

CONGRESSMAN ACCUSED OF CHOKING MISTRESS CANCELS EVENT WITH REYNOLDS - DOESN'T WANT TO RUIN HIS REPUTATION

--Jason Horowitz