Topic: sex in themedia. We're worn out with the Paterson stuff. It's nobody's business whether he and his wife have been faithful. And maybe, we figure, he really did need those hotel rooms for early-morning meetings. His house may be just outside Albany, but he's blind. Somebody would have to drive him to those meetings.

However: it is somebody's business whether he used taxpayer money for personal or partisan use. In a 4-0 vote, our newsroom says the Paterson story won't go away, and can't.

Topic: the Judas taunt. Hot debate here on whether the always-fascinating James Carville was right to call Bill Richardson a Judas for endorsing Barack Obama instead of Hillary Clinton.

Anti-Carville writers in our newsroom say the comment was harsh, ugly, uncalled-for, and harmful to the Democratic Party. Pro: Bill Clinton appointed Richardson to important posts that he wouldn't have had otherwise (Secretary of the Department of Energy, Ambassador to the United Nations). Loyalty is important.

The news staff vote: harsh and ugly, 2; justifiable, 1; abstention, 1.

Topic: Gore for president? The media keep speculating that if the Democrats can't settle on a presidential candidate before the convention, they'll pick Al Gore. Would that be an outrage? Or a decent solution?

Pro-outrage: Gore has no right to come riding in after the other candidates have gone through this exhausting campaign process. Nice guy, but it's too late.

"Decent solution": Gore is eminently qualified. What if, after three or four rounds of voting at the convention, neither the Clinton nor the Obama forces can attract enough uncommitted and superdelegates to get the 2024 votes needed to win? What are the Dems supposed to do? Stay in Denver and keep voting until November? Nominate somebody less well known than Gore? At some point, the Dems have to pick a candidate. The news staff vote: 2 for selecting Gore, 2 against.

In all likelihood, that's moot, though. As minnpost.com notes, either Obama or Clinton are almost certain to get enough delegate votes at the convention to win - unless a lot of the uncommitted and superdelegates don't vote or vote for a third candidate.

Also on minnpost.com is this little trivia: the 1924 convention took 103 ballots - 16 days - to select a presidential nominee.