Bloomberg hints at possible '08 independent presidential bid

NORMAN, Okla. -- New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg turned up the volume on a possible independent bid for president on Monday, arguing that partisanship is limiting the nation's progress at a summit of Republicans and Democrats that stole a bit of the spotlight from the candidates in New Hampshire.

Amid talk about Washington riven by partisanship, Bloomberg gathered with some current elected officials, others out of office for years to discuss bridging the divide between the two parties. The summit came on the eve of the first-in-the-nation primary.

"People have stopped working together, government is dysfunctional, there's no collaborating and congeniality," Bloomberg said to applause from the crowd. "America is being held back," he said.

The panel also included Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel, who is often mentioned as an ideal running mate for Bloomberg.

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"Every one of us in this group this morning believes there are opportunities to turn things around for our country, our future, our children, the world," Hagel said.

A long line of people -- students, political junkies and Bloomberg backers -- stretched down the street before the event began.

"The opportunity to remove partisan politics from the dialogue is a wonderful idea," said Dennis Ryan, 74, a lawyer from Oklahoma City.

But the national media who traveled to Oklahoma University, and some in the crowd of about 1,000, were there to see Bloomberg more than anyone else. The multibillionaire mayor switched his party affiliation from Republican to independent last summer, increasing the political chatter about a potential third-party bid for the presidency.

Some of the event's organizers themselves have bluntly billed the gathering as a warning to the major party candidates that they are prepared to back an independent candidate -- someone like Bloomberg -- if they do not see more cooperation among the declared contenders.

Several of the candidates have already made bipartisanship part of their campaign messages.

Democrat Barack Obama, who won the Iowa caucuses, referred to that theme several times during his victory speech, telling his supporters: "You came together as Democrats, Republicans and independents, to stand up and say that we are one nation... you said the time has come to move beyond the bitterness and pettiness and anger that's consumed Washington."

The Republican winner in Iowa, Mike Huckabee, also referred to a desire for bipartisan unity.

What Americans want, he said in his speech, is for their president "to bring this country back together, to make Americans, once again, more proud to be Americans than just to be Democrats or Republicans, to be more concerned about going up instead of just going to the left or to the right."

The group in Oklahoma spent several hours Sunday night and Monday morning drafting a joint statement about the urgency of drawing the parties to work together in addressing issues such as health care, climate change, homeland security and the economy. It urged the presidential candidates to provide "clear descriptions of how they would establish a government of national unity," and "specific strategies for reducing polarization and reaching bipartisan consensus."

The forum included former Republican Sen. Bill Brock of Tennessee, former Defense Secretary William Cohen, former Democratic Sen. Bob Graham of Florida, former Democratic Sen. David Boren of Oklahoma, former Democratic Sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia and former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman.

"We come together to appeal to all presidential candidates to tell us how they plan to bring us together: Hear our plea, bring us together," Boren said.

Asked what he would do if the candidates did not respond, Bloomberg demurred.

"I think all the members of the panel are optimistic that the candidates will listen to us and will understand that there is a deep need in this country and a deep desire among the electorate to have the candidates face the issues," he said.

The billionaire mayor, who is in his second term, says publicly that he will not run, but his denials have weakened as his aides more boldly explore a potential candidacy.

The mayor has been entertaining presidential speculation for more than two years, but time is closing in -- he needs to make a decision within about the next several months in order to begin the exhaustive and complicated process of collecting signatures to get on the ballot, a process that differs state by state.

The earliest deadline now is Texas; he would need to collect about 74,100 signatures by May 12, and can only begin the petitioning there on March 5. A number of states follow with June deadlines, including Arizona, Colorado and North Carolina.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.

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