On the other other hand, Arthur Finkelstein's signature products (George Pataki, Al D'Amato, the Republican Jewish Coalition and Freedom's Watch) haven't had a win in years, and the patron who kept him going since Pataki dumped him, Mr. Adelson, lost his wherewithall in the financial meltdown.

Probably won't help why Pataki dumped him (for telling an israeli paper how much it sucked that the evangelicals took over the Republican party). Not going to help national fundraising much, that.

Although I will say it would be fun to see if he can leverage his past debate experience into trying to physically intimidate a blind man.

Rick is exactly the person we need to lead NY out of social and economic dispair. He's a fresh voice, forward thinking, and has a very impressive record of accomplishment during the 8 years he served in Congress and thereafter. And, he never served a day in office while GW was president and can't be tied to Bush's policies. Go Rick!

Lazio is no longer an "insider" which is a plus given the last eight years and Chase seems to be the only well run bank left in NY. I remember the late 90's when Lazio was a Member of Congress and Bill Clinton was President, things were pretty good then in NY. Not so much now. As far as "invading space" goes, at least Lazio didn't have a chance to vote for the war in Iraq like our esteemed Secretary of State. That was a real invasion of space.

Plus, he's extremely moderate, and while in Congress was a member of the enironmentally-friendly League of Conservation and has been endorsed by the Sierra Club. In a time when the Right's going hog-wild off an extremist cliff, Rick truly is a return to moderate principles, someone who'll easily work across the aisle for the betterment of the state.