Aside from providing a revealing look at the governor elect, this year's Somos el Futuro conference in Puerto Rico offered a glimpse into the psyche of the state'a Hispanic Democrats, who, unlike the attendees at the same event in 2005, are in the mood to celebrate.

"It wasn't the blood bath like it was last year because of what happened with Freddy Ferrer," said one person who was at the conference. "This year, there's not a lot of that shit. It's pretty quiet."

Christine Quinn, a potential 2009 mayoral candidate, held a reception for elected officials only, while her prospective rival Bill Thompson also made the rounds at the conference.

Eliot Spitzer hosted an event as well, although attendees hoping for some in-depth preview of his agenda were disappointed.

"It wasn't a reception that lent itself to dialogue," said one person who attended Spitzer's reception. "It was like a 'hi' and 'bye' thing -- a brief moment with him."

-- Azi Paybarah