4.  Obama to N.Y. Gov: Don't Run

In what the New York Times calls an "unprecedented" foray into state politics, the White House has let Democratic New York Gov. David Paterson know that President Obama doesn't want Paterson on the ticket in New York's next governor's race. Paterson, who took his post after former Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned, is deeply unpopular in his state, and the White House is said to fear that Paterson's presence on the ballot, particularly opposite Republican Rudy Giuliani, who may be considering a run, could energize New York's Republicans. Paterson has not commented on the request, which was delivered through a Queens Democrat with close ties to the White House.

Read original story in The New York Times | Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009