(CNN) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is congratulating the woman who will replace her in the Senate.
"Today I congratulate Kirsten Gillibrand on her appointment by Governor Paterson to serve as Senator from New York," Clinton said in a statement. "Kristen is an intelligent and dedicated public servant and a dear friend."
Full statement after the jump
Statement of Hillary Rodham Clinton
Today I congratulate Kirsten Gillibrand on her appointment by Governor Paterson to serve as Senator from New York. Kristen is an intelligent and dedicated public servant and a dear friend. I'm pleased that this seat, which has been my great honor to hold, and which has in its history been held by leaders like former Senators Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Robert F. Kennedy, will be in such capable hands. And I look forward to working with Senator Gillibrand as we meet the challenges and seize the opportunities facing New York, our nation and the world.
Thank you Governor Paterson. You have given NY a new Senator who will strive to understand the entire state, has a wide knowledge base (from organic farming to Asian issues) reflects the left of center NY politics and is young enough with the right personality dynamics to develop into leadership where she will someday perform brilliantly. She is good for NY state, she is good for America.
Gillibrand is good we need people that will get the job done and reach across the isle.
The Dems in NY must be drunk to choose a woman who supports Second Amendment!
Very good choice by Governor Patterson in choosing Gillibrand as a replacement for Hillary Clinton for few reasons:
1. Upstate NY Representative
2. Centrist
3. Admired by NY Republicans
4. Choosing Gillibrand, NY Republicans especially from upstate NY, provides a nice voting bloc for Patterson to run in the next Governor's election
It's a win-win situation for all the right reasons.
@ Uhhh
what are you talking about?
this lady is a fiscal conservative, so what are you complaining about?
Fiscal conservatives haven't been in charge of this state for years, and look at our current situation.
More spending and taxing is going to get us out of the problem? I believe taxing and spending too much is not what got us into this problem, it IS the problem.
Your argument is not clear.
She is a Republican posing as a Democrat like Joe Liberman the People of NY Will not be happy with their Govenor bad choice Gov!
Thank-you Gov. for picking an excellent choice to replace Sen. Clinton.
THIS IS A WINNER!!!!
Good choice and I agree it is not up to the Kennedys to select a New York Senator. I am sorry but Mrs Kennedy would of been a horible choice for the state of New York.
We love you Hillary. Glad to hear that Gov. Paterson was strong to resist the Kennedy house pressure. I hate Ted and Caroline for what they did in the primaries. Caroline is not like her father and Ted is not like his brothers.
The GOP is DEAD. Conservatism is NOT. This woman is more consdervative than Clinton and she is a prime example of why the RINOs from the northeast were booted out of office. I only wish I lived in NY so I could vote FOR her in 2010.
Peter January 23rd, 2009 1:29 pm ET
I like Hillary but she needs to be careful not to be seen as if she want to overshadow the President. Looks like she has made news the last 3days…….
Really, the only reason many read/watch news is to hear about Hillary.
I just hope this pushy woman is not another Sarah Palin, I can't take a minute of that. LOL
sounds like she is a closet republician, another loser.
Thanks Patterson and Huillary now you will get to see both the Gov. and Sen.loose their seat in next election.
If Caroline K. is not qualified then neither are you.
I am SO happy he did not choose Caroline Kennedy. I think it was wrong of her to knock Hillary and support Obama in the primaries, then try to take her vacant Senate seat! Also, simply being a Kennedy does not make you qualified for a Senate seat!
All the Obama backers (Clinton Haters) lost their push for Princess Caroline
Considering Clinton is a spendthrift gun-grabber, being replaced a fiscal conservative supporter of the Second Amendment must have hurt. I sure hope so.
Paul Begala and Rahm Emanuel think she is a good choice. Just goes to show, even when Pres Obama's people like someone, some Dems just don't get the message.
The first coments states, "This Pushy Woman" That is So Sexist and
discriminatory aginst women. If a woman is intelligent, educated, ambitious and can debate issues some say that she is "pushy"
If a man does the same things , he is forceful, a take-charge type of person and a "Man's man.
When is Society going to Mature and realize that women can be
determined and get things accomplished. This is All Part Of Being Female.
Dear John (1:34PM):
Thanks! I think you're kinda cute, too.
Chuck
Hey Ken (1:40 PM):
You are living proof that the right is indeed paranoid. You're just whining because you, just like everybody else who feels the need to comment, often doesn't get to see his name up in lights. Guess what? It happens to everybody, regardless of point of view. Get over it, and get over yourself. Just because we're all entitiled to your opinion doesn't mean you get to bloviate whenever you feel the need. Incidentally, it's hard to tell what your thoughtful submission had to do with the article above. Oh, never mind.
Gillibrand is a fantastic congresswoman and my family and I have met her on multiple occasions. She is always holding meetings with her constituents as well as being readily accessible to anyone. She stands for things that she believes in and that those of her district believe in. If you have never been to Upstate NY–then maybe you should. We have a large abundance of dairy farmers, paper mills, ski resorts, hiking trails, rolling hills and cascading mountains–she;s a democrat just like me, but isn't pigeon holed by definitions!!!! Congrats Kirsten–let them haters be hating!!!
Now we know why she got the job, she's a 'dear friend' of Hillary. Keep it all in the Clinton clic.
Fess up now, how many of you writing here work for Ted Kennedy ?
Hmmm! Ricardson, Edwards Kerry, Kennedy. One by one the traitors are going down and more to come. The difference is Obama used them and tossed them under the bus. If they has stuck with Madam Secretary they would know what loyalty was, this is not the end, they will all go down one by one.