New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg had his media moment Wednesday, and the newly minted independent said all the coy and clever things that potential presidential candidates are supposed to say to keep their options open and their profiles high:
"The more people that run for office, the better."
"The big issues of our time keep getting pushed to the back."
And when asked if he'd pledge to serve out his entire term, Bloomberg offered the standard dodge: "I have said that my intention is to be mayor for the next 925 days."
On the day after he capped a campaign-style swing through California by ditching the Republican Party, the media mogul "did little to quiet the fierce speculation about a possible independent presidential bid," as the Associated Press put it. He temporarily knocked Paris Hilton off the 24-hour news channels — and proved he's a bit of a flirt himself. Needless to say, the punditocracy is in a tizzy, gleefully analyzing how Bloomberg's billions will transform the already wide-open campaign landscape.
But sometimes a flirt is just a flirt. Bloomberg clearly wants to be a player in the 2008 election, but that doesn't necessarily mean he wants to be a candidate.
"Mike thinks he has something to contribute to the national debate, and he wants his voice on the national stage," says Joel Klein, Bloomberg's school chancellor. "But it would be a mistake to infer from all this that he's running."
By quitting the GOP, Bloomberg has kept open the option of an independent campaign; that option wouldn't be open to a registered Republican. But there are still plenty of reasons to wonder whether he'll exercise that option.....
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