Steamroller

As they reeled from the shock of George W. Bush's 2004 re-election, some Democrats mentioned Elliot Spitzer as a possible Democratic presidential hope for '08. There has not been much of that talk lately, although many political observers think a governor has a better chance of winning the White House than the any one of the gaggle of senators vying for the nomination.

A measure of hubris is certainly a prerequisite for seeking high political office. The key, however, is in how you measure it. For those who might still be thinking "Spitzer" when they think "president," I'm not sure the new governor of New York has the formula worked out just yet.

"I am a fucking steamroller and I'll roll over you or anybody else," the Democratic governor told Republican Assemblyman James Tedisco in a private conversation last week, the New York Post reported on Wednesday.

"I've done more in three weeks than any governor has done in the history of the state," Spitzer also said, the Post reported.

Asked at a news conference if the comments were inappropriately boastful, Spitzer replied tersely, "No. Next question."

There is hubris, and then there is hubris.

Governor Spitzer doesn't seem quite ready for prime time yet.