Yeah, perhaps former New York governor George Pataki — one of National Review’s all-time least favorite Republicans when he was in office — should rethink his priorities: “While he has not made a final decision on a Senate run, Pataki has told at least one major GOP donor in private that he is not interested in becoming a senator at the age of 64 and would rather run for president in 2012.”

Really? Because I suspect a lot of New York Republicans might find a “Senator Pataki” pretty appealing, at a moment when “President Pataki” feels pretty darn farfetched . . .

Back when I was a tadpole at Congressional Quarterly, I remember hearing that Pataki was interested in the 2000 Republican presidential nomination from a Republican strategist/manager who has since gone on to great things, including one very recent, very big GOP win. Pataki’s alleged interest never amounted to anything serious, of course, but I figure if you have the ambition to be a three-term governor, you have the ambition to be a president . . .