Kristin Gillibrand, the Senator whose word is as good as broken

Posted by wolfhound at 6/19/2009 1:29 PM EDT

New York Sen. Kristin Gillibrand certainly did her election prospects no good when she broke her promise to at a major Irish-American event Thursday night.

Gillibrand -- who was appointed to her seat to fill Hillary Clinton's -- was set to be keynote speaker at the Irish Voice newspaper’s "75 Most Influential Women” event held at the Irish Consulate.

The event had been switched from Wednesday to Thursday night about a month ago -- to facilitate the senator's "busy schedule."

But Gillibrand was a no-show. One of her staffers informed organizers just 30 minutes before the event began that she'd be skipping it..

“We were deeply disappointed” said Debbie McGoldrick, editor of The Irish Voice. “We had switched the event on the definite commitment from her staff that she would attend.

“They didn’t even do us the courtesy of a phone call until the very last minute. We certainly feel there was a complete lack of professionalism about how this was handled.”

Wolfie notes this entry from Gillibrand's website, which features her enviable endorsement by the Rev. Al Sharpton:

"Kirsten believes that New Yorkers deserve leaders who are honest, open and upfront with the public. That’s why she supports President Obama’s plans to add transparency to government, and will continue to lead by example."

Well, I can't argue with her commitment on that one. Kristin Gillibrand is as transparent as glass.