Far be it for me to dispute the New York Post.

But a feature article today, written by Maggie Haberman, says that "disgraced" former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who resigned in March of 2008 following his involvement in a prostitution scandal, "has been privately talking with friends about a possible comeback, and is considering a run for statewide office next year" — either running for state comptroller against appointed incumbent Tom DiNapoli, or challenging appointed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. Either challenge would be waged in the Democratic primary. There is no open statewide post up in 2010 and none held by a Republican.

The newspaper, always colorful and sophisticated, calls Spitzer "the hooker-happy Democrat."

But the article also points out that recent polls "have shown him more popular" than Gov. David Paterson (D), "whose own numbers have tanked." The article says that Spitzer:

has been looking at avenues for a return to elective office, even if it means mounting a challenge against a fellow Democrat. ... [DiNapoli] is widely seen in Democratic circles as a weak link on the ticket. Gillibrand is similarly viewed as ripe for a primary challenge, with large numbers of voters saying they have no opinion of her.

Spitzer has suggested in recent interviews that he's not interested subjecting his family to the rigors of another campaign — although he has seemed to stop short of ruling it out.

"If by politics you mean running for office again, I've a hard time seeing politics as a career. I wouldn't want to put my family through the agony," he told Vanity Fair magazine in its July issue.

"But that doesn't mean I can't participate somehow in the public debate about the issues."

Look, I love crazy political stories as much as you do, but seriously. Or as they might say in New York, gimmeabreak. (What's the matter, is Mark Sanford not available?)

Forget it, it's not going to happen. Between Paterson's woes, the resulting bad feelings from the circus with the state legislature in Albany, and the fact that three of the statewide incumbents running next year — Paterson, DiNapoli and Gillibrand — all got their posts by appointment, the last thing the under-siege Democrats need is for Eliot Spitzer to return to the scene.

(And here's a p.s. that I can't avoid. Remember all the outrage over the two Democrats who became Republicans earlier this year and handed the state Senate to the GOP? One was a crook who didn't live in his district, the other slashed his girlfriend with glass? Remember the outrage? Have you heard any of that outrage since they returned to the Democratic fold and returned control to the Dems? Just sayin'.)

Tags: On The Ballot