Interesting juxtaposition: Eliot Spitzer is writing a column for Slate, while David Paterson is shaking up his team of campaign consultants.

Gov. David A. Paterson is said to be considering shaking up his political team by downsizing the role of the Global Strategy Group, which has been a one-stop Democratic political consulting and polling shop for the last two Democratic governors.

I've done work for a subsidiary of Global in the past, so I'm not entirely unbiased here. That said, what David Paterson needs aren't new consultants. What he needs is a higher level of leadership, partisan and generally. For example, can anyone imagine Eliot Spitzer putting up with the Diaz/Kruger rebellion?

David Paterson is a wonderful, funny and smart human being. I've never heard anyone offer an unkind assessment of his character and person, which, in this state, is remarkable in itself. But sometimes, that's just not enough. There are times when the whip needs to be cracked, and now is one of those times.