Disgraced in presidential office but redeemed in retirement as one of America's most popular politicians, Bill Clinton appears set to run for the only appointment that New Yorkers really care about -- the mayor of their own city.
Amid furious rumors, encouraged by the multi-billionaire Republican incumbent, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the stage seems set for one of the most gripping mayoral races in the city's memory.
Bloomberg himself fanned the flames this weekend, gracing Clinton's potential candidacy with a statement saying that Bloomberg "fully expected" to win re-election in 2005, whether or not Clinton was to run.
"I welcome lots of competition," said Bloomberg, whose popularity ratings hit an all-time record low this week.
Expectation that Clinton would run was also heightened by the comments of former Democratic mayor Ed Koch. Speaking on CNN yesterday, he said he "very much" hoped Clinton would stand for office, leading off solid backing from New York's famous and muscular Democratic party machine.
Speculation was heightened further still by the comments of the man otherwise likely to run for the Democrats, a powerful local politician called Gifford Miller, who says he would stand down if Clinton were to run.
"I don't think you could be a lot more qualified than having served as president of the United States," said Gifford, "He has done a phenomenal job for our country -- so, if Bill Clinton wants to run for mayor, I'll support him."
Most New Yorkers believe the vote a foregone conclusion -- that Clinton could only win by a landslide if he chose to run.
New Yorkers seem ready to embrace the idea as an adventure and much-needed morale booster during times of relative financial hardship and pessimism about their city, undergoing a deficit crisis and the wettest, nastiest summer so far on record.
"The guy we need and damn deserve," said Molly Marks setting up her flower stall in Union Square yesterday morning. "He'd add a bit of spice to things. He's a kind of glamorous figure"
"It'd be cool ... some fun at City Hall for a change," forecast Charles Conseco, erecting police barriers across 11th Street. "I voted for him to be president, and I'd sure vote for him to be mayor -- that'd be even closer to the people. I think that's where he likes to be."
"You know, said Pierre Martin, a cab driver, "he likes to be liked, and he knows that people from this city like him. I do."
Clinton has been both proudly and skeptically received in the metropolis to which he moved in the hours after leaving office in 2001, setting up residence in the luxury suburban country of Westchester, with a titular business address in the city.
"They call him Slick Willie and that's just about all he is," says Rick Herszenhorn, a jeweler, "Let's be serious, he couldn't run this city no more than he can keep his pants zipped up."
"He may be good at flying all around other countries talking to people about big issues, but can he fix a city budget?" challenged Ruth Wils, a store manager. "I wonder if he's really interested in that."
The bush-fire of rumor caps a week in which the former First Couple were back once again in the limelight.
First there was Hillary Rodham Clinton's autobiography, which was such a hot ticket that the publisher ordered an emergency print run of 300,000 copies in addition to the million already printed.
Then, on Friday, came the annual round of American financial disclosures, where the Clintons are always the most publicly devoured figures. They show that even the revenue from Hillary's bloated book contract is dwarfed by her husband's earnings simply from being Bill Clinton, speaking on the global after-dinner circuit, for which he netted US$9.5 million last year.
The rumor that Clinton would run for mayor was first put about by media columnists and activists in the city's liberal and Democratic community, not least as wishful thinking.
Politically, a Clinton candidacy would offer hope of deliverance in Democrat circles from the legacy of Republican Rudy Guiliani. The Clinton candidacy has become enthusiastically backed by powerful media figures such as Michael Wolf, the New York magazine commentator: "I don't think it is going to happen, but I think it should be encouraged. He needs a way to come back."
Bloomberg's office points out that Clinton is not even eligible to stand, since he is a resident of Westchester country, in the suburbs. However, Clinton does have an office in Harlem, where he is wildly popular, and as the New York Times noted, with Hillary in mind, "it is something of a family tradition to move for political opportunities."
The speculation is not doused at all by the feebleness of official denials coming from inside Clinton's inner circle. Spokesman Jim Kennedy says only this, in the blandest of terms: "He is very happy living in Westchester County and he is very happy with his office in Harlem. Running for mayor is not something he is considering."
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