The New York Times published an account pointing to some possible confusion or miscommunication among various Paterson and Kennedy aides. The New York Post reported, “Two sources said Paterson had conveyed to Kennedy on Tuesday that she wasn’t likely to get picked.”

I suspect that what happened is that Paterson told her of his decision on Tuesday and set in motion an “I-am-withdrawing” plan to allow her and her supporters to save face. Someone then leaked the story Wednesday evening, messing up the rollout.

http://thepurplecenter.blogspot.com/

The Albany Times-Union sums the questions up nicely as follows:

“1. First off, is Caroline Kennedy actually out? The Times story (by stalwart Albany correspondents Nick Confessore and Danny Hakim) is credited to “a person told of her decision.” But both the governor’s office and the Kennedy PR machine appear to be caught flat-footed.

2. Didn’t she tell the clan first? The Daily News is reporting that Kerry Kennedy, Caroline’s cousin, spoke with the governor and Kennedy’s ostensible spokesman, Josh Isay, who claimed they didn’t know anything about a pullout.

3. Did she jump or did she jump before she was pushed? The Times story states that “Ms. Kennedy believed that the job was hers if she would accept it” (the phrasing of that sentence changed from the initial posting to put the burden of that belief on Kennedy, as opposed to stating the govenor’s offer as a flat fact) but the New York Post (in a story sourced to “the Post has learned”) says Kennedy took a powder “after learning that Gov. David Paterson wasn’t going to choose her.”

4. How much did her uncle play into this decision? While Ted Kennedy’s illness is tragic, it’s been something the family and the nation has known about in pretty complete detail since long before Kennedy announced her interest in Clinton’s seat. None but the most optimistic souls thought that his decline was reversible.”