THE DIRTIEST POLITICIAN I KNOW!

Pedro Espada has back-stabbed his way to the top.
Let's see how long it lasts.

The turncoat senator from the South Bronx, whose defection to the Republican minority paralyzed action in the Senate on a raft of bills for an entire month, landed an even bigger reward yesterday with his sudden return to the Democratic fold.

Meet Senate Majority Leader Espada.

This sleazy pol, who doesn't even deign to keep a district office, now holds one of the most powerful posts in Albany.

He has even taken to bragging he is the highest-ranking Hispanic official in state history.

This should astound and embarrass every New Yorker.

Espada is the consummate conniver - one all the experts underestimated.

He brazenly exploited the razor thin Democratic majority in the Senate to shake down the leaders of both major political parties.

Each time he switched sides, his notoriety and influence only grew.

Gov. Paterson and Mayor Bloomberg - and a lot of other key figures in the state didn't help matters by acting like the sky was falling.

Few of the doomsayers dared to admit that the biggest job of the Senate, passing the state budget, was accomplished before the impasse.

Or that many pieces of major legislation, such as mayoral control, tenant legislation or gay marriage, could wait until the fall.

Some critics even demanded that the pay of the senators be docked.

They refused to recognize that the lawmakers have never worked harder or longer hours than they have the past month to end this deadlock. One which they created, of course.

"The hysteria coming from media was incredible," said Sen. Liz Krueger.

"We had to do something to insure the remaining legislation could pass, that we weren't seen as a laughingstock."

"With the Senate evenly split, it has been almost impossible to get all sides to agree," another senator said, especially when Republicans rejected any power-sharing agreement.

All the while, Queens Sen. Hiram Monserrate was urging fellow Democrats for weeks that the only solution for breaking the 31-31 deadlock was to woo Espada back.

Monserrate, as you may recall, defected with Espada in the June 8 Republican coup.

Although he changed his mind a week later, he maintained the closest relationship with Espada.

Heck, they even went to a ballgame together at Yankee Stadium.

Over the past week, Monserrate organized a series of breakfasts between a small group of Democrats and Espada.

The group finally convinced Brooklyn Sen. John Sampson, the new leader of the Senate Democratic caucus, to offer Espada the majority leader post yesterday morning.


THE DIRTY DEEDS OF PEDRO ESPADA:


THERE'S ANOTHER VIDEO OF NEWS 12 WHERE THEY FIND HIM LIVING IN MAMARONECK & HE JUMPS IN A CAR & USES A BABY TO BLOCK THE CAMERAS VIEW OF HIM!
ALL I'M SAYING IS CAN YOU IMAGINE IF THAT WAS BULLETS WOULD HE BLOCK HIMSELF WITH THE BABY?
CAN'T FIND THE VIDEO THOUGH!
PROBABLY DELETED FOREVER!