Soda was a hot topic yesterday, as Governor Paterson spoke at a gathering of health officials and soda-tax advocates in Albany, while former president Bill Clinton bragged in Harlem about how his foundation has helped pressure soft drink companies to slash shipments of full-sugar soft drinks to schools by 95 percent compared with 2004. “There’s been a dramatic shift toward lower calorie and more nutritious beverages in schools,” Clinton told reporters . But when asked if he supported a proposed New York state tax on sugary beverages , Clinton declined to comment, saying: “It’s dumb for me to get involved in (the tax) debate when I can save God knows how many kids lives by making other agreements.” Meanwhile, the scaremongering was in full swing up in Albany. Deputy Majority Leader Jeff Klein (D-Bronx) vowed to kill the governor’s proposal, which would increase the cost of sugar-sweetened beverages by an average of 17% and reduce consumption by 15%, was dead in the water. “I think it has to be,” Klein told the Daily News , “Anything that is going to cause us to lose jobs in this devastating economy has to be considered a nonstarter.” And Sen. Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn) declared, “Ladies and gentlemen, today it’s soda and juice, tomorrow it’s lettuce and tomato. Do you know how much sugar is in a grape or a banana? They are not going to stop there.” But assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said the proposal is still being considered: “The question is whether people will be taxed for things that are clearly legal … [a] product sold in supermarkets. If we deal with sugar, we might as well deal with the whole gamut of sugar.” And Paterson admitted that even he is not immune from soda seduction: “I might even sneak a soda now, but the First Lady has banned them from the mansion… We’re trying to take dangerous substances out of the hands of children, and we would have equated that, years ago, with firecrackers or something like that. Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, they’re enjoying soda and booze in a can in Japan. It’s called Cola Shock , and the commercial is just as daffy as you might hope a Japanese ad with fat Americans ordering “burger!” “pizza!” and “Cola Shock” would be. Watch: [Via Jimmy Fallon ]

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Clinton Also Anti-Soda, But State Senate Vows to Kill Tax