A Jan. 12 editorial regarding vacancies in the United States Senate identified Democratic Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand as “the best of the lot” among the possibilities to fill Hillary Clinton’s seat. Speculation at the time focused on Caroline Kennedy and, to a lesser extent, Andrew Cuomo. On Friday, New York Gov. David Paterson named Gillibrand to the spot.

Caroline Kennedy’s recent interview with The New York Times didn’t go so well. Even the newspaper noted she was evasive, which is a gentler way of saying she didn’t answer the questions put to her.

Caroline Kennedy probably would rate as the most-admired among the Kennedy family. Until recently her life defined rectitude. Her grasping campaign for appointment to the U.S. Senate does not flatter her reputation.