Okay, I didn't really meet the man. With throngs of media from all over, there weren't really opportunities to have a one-on-one conversation with him. But I was less than 10 feet from him as Pat Quinn gave his first news conference as the Governor of Illinois.

He was straight-forward about what he knows and doesn't know. Most Governors know what their state's budget deficit is. Quinn doesn't. But then again, most new Governors have a transition period where they spend time with the outgoing administration (a la Bush and Obama).

But here in Illinois, there was no transition. Quinn is coming in pretty cold. When asked about the budget shortfall, he admitted he didn't no what it was because he didn't have access to the state's pocketbook if you will. He does now.

Quinn says it will take about six weeks for him to do some "fact-finding on fiscal matters" and when he's done, he'll level with the people of Illinois.

He's already done something his predecessor didn't do... dine at the Governor's mansion. He says he's looking forward to living there. What a concept!

I talked to a few lawmakers and even the Republicans say Quinn's the right man for the job right now. Even though they know there will be disagreements, they say Quinn is a man they can trust. I repeat. What a concept!

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