New York Gov. David Paterson says he’s considering Attorney General Andrew Cuomo for appointment to the U.S. Senate seat about to be vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Paterson and Cuomo had refused since early December to say if Cuomo is in the running, even as the latest polls show New Yorkers favor Cuomo by a narrow margin over Caroline Kennedy.

In a CBS television interview during the inauguration of President Barack Obama, Paterson notes that Kennedy impressed him, but Cuomo also has outstanding qualities.

Paterson also says Cuomo — who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2002 — has told the governor he won’t run against him in 2010.

The governor and the attorney general have claimed their conversations are confidential because of their attorney-client relationship.

(Source: 1010WINS)