Today’s Times has an article on how New York Governor David Paterson (CC ’77) has managed to reach amazingly low poll numbers in part through being perceived as “increasingly remote.” Included as an example of this remoteness is a section telling of how Paterson canceled his scheduled commencement address at Teachers College last Spring two hours before he was supposed to speak–for the second year in a row:

Last May, Mr. Paterson was lined up to speak in Manhattan at the evening graduation ceremony for Teachers College, Columbia University. It was kind of a makeup: he had agreed in 2008 to be the speaker at the same ceremony but canceled at the last minute because he needed emergency eye surgery. University officials were surprised last year when Mr. Paterson canceled again, with just two hours’ notice.

But what’s perhaps more significant, at least from our humble perspective, is how the animosity between Paterson and our dear PrezBo seems to have perpetuated. PrezBo’s office failed to confirm to the Times that Paterson had called to apologize:

Mr. Paterson said that the next day, he called the president of Columbia, Lee C. Bollinger, to explain what had happened, though Mr. Bollinger, through a spokesman, said he could not recall such a phone call.

We’re not sure if PrezBo and the Governor have any beef outside of these incidents, but it seems unlikely that Paterson will be invited to speak at any more commencement events in the near future.