�鶹��

By Linda Feldmann
Staff Writer

Washington��� New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg insists he�s not going to run for president in 2012.

�No way, no how,� he said Sunday, when pushed by �Meet the Press� host David Gregory.

But Monday�s launch of a new movement called Nolabels.org � an effort to get beyond the hyperpartisanship that infuses Washington � can�t help but keep the �will Bloomberg run� question alive. The day-long rollout was held in New York City, and Mayor Bloomberg, a political independent, was a marquee participant. And Nolabels� centrist approach to policy fits his own message, laid out just last week in a campaign-style speech on the economy. The billionaire Bloomberg�s willingness to self-fund as a politician has been amply demonstrated in his three successful runs for New York mayor, and he reportedly considered running for president in 2008. . .

�Bloomberg isn�t running, unless there�s a popular call that he can�t ignore,� says Cal Jillson, a political scientist at �鶹�� in Dallas. �He does not generally forcelose options.�

In the past, Bloomberg has reportedly made clear he is not interested in running just to be a spoiler. He would run if he saw a path to victory. That didn�t materialize in 2008. In 2012, if Mr. Obama is still weakened by the economy, and it looks as if the Republicans might put up a polarizing figure like , Bloomberg might see his opening.

�Bloomberg is a very sophisticated guy, who does not throw money out windows,� says Jillson. �So if it didn�t look like there was room to run a draw play up the middle successfully, he wouldn�t spend the money. He�d have to spend half a billion [dollars]. Even for Bloomberg, that�s real money.�

.

# # #

��