Silver in the Middle

Sheldon Silver taped an interview this morning with Gabe Pressman about all the fun he’s having in Albany. A transcript NBC sent over highlights an interesting, if under-appreciated aspect of the Eliot Spitzer versus Joe Bruno storyline: the extent to which it's going to depend on Silver (!) to break the deadlock.

Assemblyman SILVER: Well, it's clear that they don't like each other. There's no question about it. And I am sitting between the two of them. I talk to both of them all the time. And I kind of feel like Henry Kissinger used to feel in the Middle East, doing shuttle diplomacy between the two of them.

PRESSMAN: That's what you've been doing?

Assemblyman SILVER: That's basically what I've been doing, trying to bring together the two parties without them having to meet together.

[skip]

“PRESSMAN: `I don't think anybody understands Shelly,' says Mr. Spitzer.

Assemblyman SILVER: Well, that's good. We're going to keep it that way.

PRESSMAN: That's part of your technique.

Assemblyman SILVER: Exactly.