From iTunes Tax to Caroline Kennedy: Gov. David Paterson's Wild Year

Jan. 6, 2009— -- The governor of New York has a lot on his plate these days.

He's trying to find a way to balance a state budget that's losing $60 million a day, thanks to the financial collapse of Wall Street.

He's under pressure to announce his pick to fill Hillary Clinton's soon-to-be-vacated U.S. Senate seat. And he's about to deliver his first State of the State address to an audience of New Yorkers already rankled by his proposals to tax their iTunes and soda purchases.

But what David Paterson really needed was some time to just listen -- 60 hours, to be exact. That, he said, was the time it would take him to memorize his hour-long speech, which the legally blind governor does by listening to a recording of one minute at a time.

"I can't read the speech. Since I'm not totally blind, I never learned Braille, so I can't read the speech by hand and then recite. So, I basically have to memorize it," he said.

"That's 60 hours I had to invest in this process that I probably could have used … in other areas," he said. "Certainly there are a lot of ways where one's disability limits them from succeeding as well as they might have otherwise. That's what a disability is."

While the process sounds tedious, Paterson seems like a man who relishes taking his time. Case in point -- his deliberate decision not to quickly fill the Senate seat that will open when Clinton is likely confirmed as secretary of state.

"There is a lot of pressure on me to make the decision early," he told "Nightline," acknowledging the widespread interest in who he will appoint.

"There are a lot of reports every day. We have the rumor of the day around here that I have to appoint someone," he said. "I am not going to be coerced. I am not going to be unduly persuaded. And I'm not going to be pushed around."

That pressure has been coming in large part from supporters of Caroline Kennedy, who many have seen as the leading contender for the seat since she publicly announced her interest in it.

One of Kennedy's most vocal allies has been Kevin Sheekey, a key aide to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Sheekey recently told the New York Daily News that "the idea that we would pass up appointing someone to the Senate who is both a friend and a critical supporter of Barack Obama is political malpractice."

But Paterson insists there are 15 to 20 people that he is considering for the job, including Kennedy, whom he defended against the charge that she lacks government experience.

"I think that that probably applies to a lot of others who have served with a great deal of distinction from New York. And you have to look at the world from my perspective," he said.

"The biggest argument against Sen. Hillary Clinton was that she wasn't even resident of New York when she wanted to run, and hadn't held public office. And now what people say about Hillary is that nobody can take her place," Paterson said. "So the question will be, who will be the selectee that would most make you think of Sen. Hillary Clinton in about eight years?"

Paterson also reiterated his timeline for announcing his choice, saying it would come once Clinton is confirmed by the Senate for her new job. Those confirmation hearings are likely to begin next week.