Mayor Mike's Move

"Despite Mr. Bloomberg's denials, his aides are working intensely behind the scenes promoting the idea of the mayor's candidacy and exploring the mechanics of starting an independent campaign."

The Daily News: "Despite his denials, he has spent months traveling the country, building his national profile while speaking out on hot-button issues, including illegal guns, immigration, health care and global warming.

Bloomberg, a life-long Democrat, became a Republican to run for mayor in 2001, but has always shown distaste for political parties."

The L.A. Times sounds a cautionary note:

"[H]is vast personal fortune -- more than enough to match spending by either major party's nominee -- has forced candidates already in the race to treat Bloomberg as a potentially serious threat.

"Still, Bloomberg could face enormous obstacles, including trouble getting his name on the ballot in some states. With sharply contested races under way for the Republican and Democratic nominations, it is anybody's guess how his candidacy could tilt the general election."

The Chicago Tribune has the local angle:

"Bloomberg's entry might actually hurt Sen. Barack Obama the most. Obama has positioned himself as the newcomer to Washington who's almost an outsider because he hasn't been in town long enough to be tainted.

"But Bloomberg could make the argument even more forcefully that he is even more the Washington outsider than Obama, that a vote for him would truly be a vote for change."

The Boston Globe has its own local angle:

"Were he to jump into the 2008 race, Bloomberg, a billionaire who was raised in Medford, would instantly shake up the field. His positions on social issues -- he supports abortion rights and gun control -- made him a Republican anomaly. But political analysts say he could appeal to a wide swath of the country as an independent, running as a centrist not beholden to either political party."

Kos has issued one of his periodic updates on the Democratic race, and he's still down on HRC: