Patrick Cries Uncle

Published Feb 20 2007, 10:19 PM by David S. Bernstein

Deval Patrick will personally pay the difference in the lease price between his snazzy Cadillac and Romney's old Ford, and will also pick up the $27,387 tab for re-furnishing the Governor's office -- which I can only assume was about to be tomorrow's Herald scandal du jour. (Update: It was the Globe who had it.)

In a statement, Patrick says that he cannot in good conscience ask agencies to make tough budget choices "without being willing to make them myself."

But of course, he's not making that sort of tough choice -- the kind where you have to give up something that you want. He's keeping the car and the furniture, after all.