When Mayor
Michael Bloomberg introduced Barack Obama before an economic
speech Thursday, he made it clear he wasn't ready to make an
endorsement -- a prize all the presidential candidates
are seeking.
After Bloomberg
announced last month that he would not run for president
but might put his wealth and support behind another
candidate, Obama has mounted what appears to be the
most aggressive effort to woo the billionaire.
Aides to the
mayor and the Illinois senator said Obama was the first to
call after Bloomberg's announcement. He phoned again this
week to ask the mayor to introduce him before the
speech in Manhattan and to review the text.
Democrat Hillary
Rodham Clinton and Republican John McCain both have
called since Bloomberg dangled the possibility of an
endorsement, but neither has met with the
Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent mayor.
Aides to both New York senator Clinton and Bloomberg say she
and the mayor are trying to set up a meeting.
After Bloomberg's
introduction Thursday, Obama heaped praise on the mayor
for his ''extraordinary leadership.''
''At a time when
Washington is divided in old ideological battles, he
shows us what can be achieved when we bring people together
to seek pragmatic solutions,'' Obama said.
''Mr. Mayor,'' he
added a moment later, ''I share your determination to
bring this country together to finally make progress for the
American people.''
During the
speech, Obama highlighted the importance of investor
confidence in the market -- a priority for Bloomberg -- as
well as tighter regulations on Wall Street, which
Bloomberg has argued against.
Obama said the
next president should expand oversight to institutions
that borrow from the government, toughen capital
requirements for complex financial instruments like
mortgage securities, and crack down on trading
activity that ''crosses the line'' to market manipulation.
Bloomberg, who
worked on Wall Street before he founded a
multibillion-dollar financial information company that bears
his name, has said America's regulatory atmosphere is
already so burdensome that it scares companies into
taking business overseas.
In his
introduction Bloomberg predicted that not everyone ''will
agree with every idea, myself included.''
''But it is
critical that we know exactly where each candidate stands as
we make perhaps the most important decision of our lives
next November,'' he said.
Later Thursday
during a radio interview, Obama praised Bloomberg's
proposal for tolls in parts of Manhattan to help cut traffic
and pollution.
Bloomberg has had
less interaction with Clinton and Arizona senator
McCain in the past month, but he has known them longer.
McCain, the
presumptive Republican presidential nominee, endorsed
Bloomberg in 2001 when he ran for mayor as a politically
inexperienced businessman -- a long-shot campaign when
it began. They also are social friends, and Bloomberg
held a fund-raiser at his Manhattan home for McCain in
2003.
McCain called
Bloomberg about a week after the mayor announced he would
not run.
Clinton was the
last to call.
A Bloomberg
endorsement of Clinton might be a long shot. While they have
worked well together as mayor and senator, iciness between
them has lingered since 2005, when he ran for
re-election as a Republican and asked her to endorse
him. Instead, she backed his Democratic opponent, who
was not expected to win.
But Clinton may
have an in with Bloomberg through her husband. Former
President Clinton has become friendly with the mayor in
recent years, and they have worked together on climate
change. (Sara Kugler, AP)
