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: Posted on Sun, Dec. 11, 2005
: Philadelphia Inquirer

: Friends, foes call Menendez 'tough'
: Critics say Corzine's Senate pick, who once battled "bosses," has become a boss himself.

: By Kaitlin GurneyInquirer 
: Trenton Bureau

: Friends and foes use the same word to describe U.S. Rep. Robert Menendez: tough.

: For his allies, it's a term of admiration for the self-made son of Cuban immigrants who rose from the rough-and-tumble world of Hudson County politics to become a mayor, state legislator, congressman, and now Gov.-elect Jon S. Corzine's pick to fill his U.S. Senate post in Washington.

: But for his adversaries, the description paints a picture of a vindictive "boss" from the state's most corrupt county, a politician who wields his power by steering lucrative contracts to some and seeking revenge on others.

: Corzine, who announced the appointment Friday after weeks of waffling over which ambitious New Jersey congressman to select as his replacement, is said to have hesitated over how the public would interpret Menendez and his tough-guy history.

: Ultimately, a key factor in his decision, fellow Democrats say, was that the man who will become the first Latino to hold a statewide post in New Jersey was best suited to battle State Sen. Tom Kean Jr., the 37-year-old son of the popular former governor, for control of the U.S. Senate seat next fall. In his announcement Friday, Corzine praised Menendez as "eminently electable."

: "Bob is a tough, tested character - really the opposite of Tom Kean Jr.," said Tom O'Neil, a lobbyist who is the former state Democratic Party chairman. "People have been trying to kill him for years, but none of it has proved fatal. He's had his battles both in the House and, of course, in Hudson County, but this is a very resilient guy."

:  . . .

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