Responding to pressure from critics, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo recused himself from the probe of New York Governor David Paterson. Cuomo's approval ratings have started to decline, and he is believed to be avoiding further damage. Cuomo is also the man most expect to replace Paterson in the governor's office.

Cuomo chose Judith Kaye to take his place as the independent counsel leading the investigation into allegations that Paterson illegally took World Series tickets or had inappropriate contact with a woman who accused one of Paterson's aides of domestic violence. Cuomo openly cited the politics of the investigation to be the reason he has to be careful.

According to a recent Marist College poll, Cuomo's approval rating has declined by 13 percentage points during the two weeks since he began investigating Paterson. Paterson announced the end of his campaign for the Democratic nomination shortly after the investigation started. Voters in New York seem to believe that Cuomo is not the best prosecutor for the case, given that he has a direct incentive to see David Paterson's career suffer even further.

African American voters were among those who felt most disappointed in Cuomo. Black voters, especially those in New York city, form the strongest base for Governor Paterson.

"This is a legal determination as to what is the best way to conduct an investigation," Cuomo said. "... I want to make sure this is an investigation that is as free from political interference as is possible."

Cuomo reminded reporters that his two weeks working on the Paterson case were to simply determine if there was enough evidence to warrant a full investigation. He claimed that thousands of pages of records were reviewed and that his team interviewed dozens of witnesses.

The political life and death of New York Governor David Paterson seems to be taking an interesting turn. The drop in Cuomo's approval rating is a surprise to me, and I am sure it's surprising anyone else familiar with the situation. This reminds us of the nature of New York politics, where you can be on top of things one minute and on your way out in another. Political observers have reason to be skeptical about Cuomo's involvement in the Paterson case at all, since Cuomo is the one who determined that Paterson should even be investigated. The fact that Cuomo has chosen to recuse himself now, only after his approval ratings have declined, serves as evidence that his work as Attorney General is vulnerable to political biases. If he was not the right investigator from the very beginning, he should never have been involved in the Paterson case at all.

Let's not write off David Paterson just yet. As the economy improves and Paterson's team works to overcome the damage that has been done, it will be interesting to see if he regains his ability to lead. His strong support among African American leaders seems to have made a difference. The David Paterson saga is far from over.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.