*It strikes me that The New York Times is giving Harold Ford Jr. an inordinate amount of space (including an op-ed column this morning) for someone who hasn't officially declared as a candidate for U.S. Senate. Incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand has some work to do. (And we aren't even yet sure who will emerge to represent the interests of the other party.)

*Typical "Today Show" lineup: bad weather somewhere - featuring Al Roker in a funny hat; "exclusive" interview with the parents of a missing child; political story followed by interviews with John McCain or Barney Frank; "exclusive" details about Tiger Woods. Dave Garroway, where have you gone?

*I've never seen a quarterback more animated at the line of scrimmage than Peyton Manning. After watching Manning rip apart the Jets' No. 1 defense, I'm convinced the Saints may have to score 60 points to win the Super Bowl.

*If Brett Favre is finally ready to retire - and who believes he is? - it's fitting that his last pass was intercepted.

*"...A lot of Democrats who ought to be preparing to take the field in November seem to be running for shelter. In Illinois and Connecticut, the best candidates available have announced that they’re running to be the state attorney general. These days, everybody wants to be an attorney general and cuddle up and sue dairies that sell curdled milk until the political weather improves. It is very hard to be unpopular when you’re an attorney general. Even Martha Coakley was a popular attorney general." That paragraph by Gail Collins of The New York Times
should resonate throughout the Empire State, as Andrew Cuomo's momentum builds and the memory of Eliot Spitzer remains fresh.