Governor David Paterson spoke out yesterday for the first time at length about finding a replacement for Hillary Clinton's Senate seat, should she become a member of the next administration.

President-Elect Barack Obama is expected to announce his national security team next week, including his pick for secretary of state. Senator Hillary Clinton's name has been floated and, if she accepts, it falls to Paterson to appoint a replacement to her Senate seat.

There's been much talk about how much diversity, gender and geography will factor into his decision.

"I think that the misunderstanding about diversity is the feeling that because you might choose a woman or a person of a different nationality or a person who lives in, say, the upstate region, you're doing it just to satisfy the people who live there," said Paterson.

Paterson made it clear that at least one New York politician is not in the running.

"Filling the shoes of our senator, Hillary Clinton, should she move on, is going to be very difficult," he said. "I'm glad it's not me because I'm not appointing myself, because I don't know if I could fill those shoes."

New York's senior senator, Charles Schumer, said he's happy to talk about how qualified Clinton is for the State Department post, but refused to comment on a potential replacement.