Bloomberg Still Weighing His Chances

With the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary completed and still no front runner in either party, pressure is mounting for New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to announce his candidacy. While Bloomberg maintains his positon that he will not run, time is running out. Many expect the campaigning to turn bitterly partisan - thus leaving Bloomberg less and less time to offer up his opinions without recieving a volley of criticism. A potential Bloomberg bid for the presidency depends on being able to run in the center of the political spectrum, but both Iowa and New Hampshire leave doubts as to whether a moderate campaign is possible. A Hillary Clinton or Mike Huckabee nomination would leave more room for Bloomberg to play the center field, but if Senators Obama and McCain win their respective nominations, voters would be less receptive to another moderate candidate. Bloomberg may be waiting to see the direction of the economy; if the U.S. lands in a recession, he be able to portray himself as a successful money manager and businessman, where he has the most experience. Despite polling that indicates support for Bloomberg from both Republicans and Democrats, many still fear that a Bloomberg candidacy could split the Democratic party in a fiasco reminiscent of Ralph Nader's run for president in 2000.