Confidential - I Do Not Think it Means What They Think it Means - UPDATED

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Ed Morrissey at Hot Air gets the Inigo Montoya Award for this quote on the completely "Confidential" request from President Obama to New York Governor Paterson that he withdraw from the next election:

Confidential!  That must be why it wound up on the front page of the Paper of Record, right?  The White House idea of “confidential” must be “leaking to everyone who has a pen and a piece of paper,” because several of “knowledgeable Democrats” also ran to Jake Tapper at ABC News with the same story.  By the time you read this, several “knowledgeable Democrats” will have contacted the Podunk News Recycler and the West Sticks Free Times to let them know about this “confidential” missive to Paterson, too.

Somehow I think confidential does not mean what the "knowledgeable Democrats" think it means.  While the effort to nudge  Paterson from the race may be understandable, the humiliating means may stem from Paterson's appointment of Kirstin Gillibrand to the Senate.  The NYT reports:

Mr. Paterson selected Ms. Gillibrand anyway, infuriating White House officials and Democratic leaders in Washington. Making matters worse, the governor also publicly snubbed Caroline Kennedy, a close personal friend and ally of Mr. Obama’s, who announced in December her wish to be chosen as Mrs. Clinton’s replacement, but then withdrew her name from consideration in January, citing personal reasons.

You know what they say about paybacks.  Paterson is reported to be resistant to the suggestion he withdraw from the election.  How will this subtle White House up the ante to get what they want?
UPDATE: Paterson Will Run 
Evidently Paterson is not easily intimidated and declares he plans to run for re-election despite the "confidential" requests from the White House he withdraw from the race.   Paterson seems to at least understand the meaning of the word confidential:

“I have said time and time again that I am running for governor next year,” he said at the 40th annual African-American Day Parade.
Mr. Paterson would not characterize what he was told by the White House, saying that he would not “discuss confidential conversations.”
“I’m not talking about any specific conversations,” he said. “As I said, I am running for office.”

UPDATE H/T:  Memeorandum
H/T: Memeorandum