Patrick vows to finish term

WASHINGTON -- Gov. Deval L. Patrick committed to finishing his term yesterday, vowing not to accept a Cabinet position if Barack Obama wins the presidential election in November.

"No," he said when asked by The Eagle if he would consider a top spot. "I would appreciate the flattery of being asked, but no. Because I love the job I have."

A close adviser and friend of Obama, Patrick and other governors supporting the Democratic senator from Illinois attended a fundraiser for the presidential frontrunner last night.

Patrick was in Washington attending the National Governors Association winter meeting. He is scheduled to testify before Congress today on the state's effort to provide health insurance to uncovered children.

The national event for governors was filled with prospective presidential running mates from both parties, prompting jokes among the executives that any number of their colleagues could be vice president. But Patrick stepped away from that potential role, too.

"I'm a governor," he insisted. "I love this job. This is good."

His role as governor has lent him credibility as a surrogate for Obama, with whom he's spoken of the challenges that candidates face when espousing hope-related messages.

The "line of attack" that Patrick said both he and Obama have endured prompted the two to discuss strategies to repel those offensives against them. That resulted in Obama using language that was similarly used by Patrick in his 2006 campaign for governor.

In turn, fellow Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton accused Obama of plagiarism.

"I suggested how I had dealt with it when the same attacks were made on me during the campaign," Patrick said, noting that he "offered" the language to Obama.

"I guess if you have little else to say, you turn the trivial into the meaningful," Patrick said of Clinton's accusations.

He also described the former first lady as rooted in policy, saying she lacks real life experience, compared to Obama. The criticism comes as Clinton has shifted her message to broader terms, hoping to convey a populist tone in an effort to salvage her campaign.

Patrick said Obama "has a broader range of life experience, which I think is enormously important because we don't want just a chief policy wonk.

"I want somebody who knows what's going on not just in the White House, but in my house, and in everybody's house," he added.

Mo Elleithee, a spokesperson for the Clinton campaign, shot back in an e-mail: "The American people want a president who offers more than just sound bites -- they want someone who offers sound solutions to their problems."

Patrick also defended his proposal to allow three "resort casinos" to open for business in Massachusetts, but emphasized that the plan shouldn't be considered a "panacea" for the state's budget troubles, or as a funding faucet for municipalities.

His administration has said the projected $400 million in annual revenue should go mainly to buttress transportation infrastructure and hold down property taxes. But he acknowledged that others want to see it go toward local aid and education.

"We should have that debate," Patrick said. "But I don't think anybody should hear our administration to be saying that three resort casinos is the solution to the need for additional revenue."

Patrick also joined other governors of both parties to press Congress and the president to pass a second economic stimulus package aimed at helping states maintain roadways and bridges.

The governors are asking for an immediate $12 billion to jumpstart delayed construction projects. They say it would help the economy by creating jobs.