WHAT promised to be a timely endorsement of her controversial replacement ended looking like a snub when the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, failed to appear at an afternoon news conference with Kirsten Gillibrand, the senator-designate for New York.Mrs Clinton was to be the star attraction for television crews and reporters herded into a roped-off section of the Waldorf Astoria's lobby after she had lunch with Ms Gillibrand and the man who chose her, the New York Governor, David Paterson.
Instead, Ms Gillibrand and Mr Paterson - who is being assailed for choosing a little-known, conservative, pro-gun congresswoman from rural New York to represent the ethnically diverse, mainly liberal state - were left to face the media alone.
It was the climax of a weekend Manhattan charm offensive Ms Gillibrand began with a visit to Harlem and suburban Queens, which included securing the backing of the African-American community leader the Reverend Al Sharpton. Ms Gillibrand, who has been a member of the House of Representatives for two years, comes from an avid hunting family and yesterday was still trying to deflect queries about her views on gun ownership, which are seen as out of step with those of most New Yorkers.