I'm a little surprised this OP hasn't gotten more attention. It could be that folks don't know enough about Pataki to take him seriously. In my opinion, if he engages in the republican debates, he will have a very good chance of winning their nomination. And it wouldn't be merely as a default candidate. Although he doesn't come across as a really strong personality, he will seem the most competent and for lack of a better term, mature than the other republican candidates.
As you correctly point out, on issues such as the environment, he does enough to fool a lot of people. Granted, he does have an appreciation for "nature." But he is 100% a product of big banking interests. His political mentor, Mike Fiinegan, showed that he was capable of packaging Pataki in a manner that led to far more election victories than defeats. Fiinnegan is a cut-throat type of guy, willing to sacrifice anyone -- even fellow republicans -- to advance his causes. And while he may appear a parochial power, his banking connections could easily make Pataki a national candidate.
In those years as NYS Governor, Pataki got way too much support from democrats, who believed he was "liberal" on some social issues (re: environment and abortion). In my limited experience with him, he had zero respect for traditional Native Americans; he was a huge advocate for the "family" interests that brought a casino to upstate NY. And he actually prepared to have a military action to occupy Onondaga. He is a snake.
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