Rep. Gillibrand picked to fill N.Y. Senate seat

— -- The drama over Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's successor is over. New York Gov. David Paterson today named Democratic Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand to succeed Clinton in the Senate.

The appointment came about 36 hours after Caroline Kennedy withdrew from consideration for "personal reasons," setting off a round of recriminations between the Paterson and Kennedy camps.

The messy selection process ended with an Albany press conference that started 15 minutes late and went so long that Gillibrand took a congratulatory phone call from President Obama offstage as Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., continued talking at the microphone.

Amid conflicting reports over whether Kennedy had been a sure thing or a non-starter, Paterson said his choice was not based on gender, geography, race, religion or sexual orientation. "This decision was made on who the best candidate would actually be," he said.

He said Gillibrand, who was elected to Congress in 2006, has big shoes to fill because her seat has been held by Clinton, Robert F. Kennedy and Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

Gillibrand said she was inspired to enter politics by Clinton's 1995 speech to a Beijing women's conference. Then the first lady, Clinton told the conference that "human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights."

At 42, Gillibrand will become the youngest senator after she is sworn in.

A centrist and National Rifle Association member from an upstate district, Gillibrand said she would represent "the many diverse views and voices of the entire state" as a senator. She must run in a special election in 2010 and then again in 2012, the end of the six-year term Clinton began in 2006.

Well into the press conference, President Obama called to speak with Gillibrand but couldn't because she was speaking. "They said he is going to call back," Paterson said. Then he paused and added, "Please call back."

A little while later, Obama did call back. Schumer kept talking even when he was told that Obama was on the phone for Gillibrand. "I'm going to keep reading," Schumer said. "Barack, forgive me."