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Karen Hitchcock, President of the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany, has resigned. Rumors abound that she was forced out by SUNY Chancellor Bob King, a political ally of Gov. George Pataki, who would like to replace her with a more political appointee. Local radio host Dan Lynch says he's heard talk around the Capital that Hitchcock will be replaced by Lt. Governor Mary Donahue, which would mean that if Gov. Pataki gets a job in the Bush administration, Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno would become Governor for the remainder of the term. Bruno, nearing retirement, has had his eye on the governor's mansion for a long time, but isn't likely to want to run for a full term as governor at his age.

It's going to be very interesting to see how this plays out.