Bloomberg Crams On Foreign Policy: Proof That He's Planning '08 Bid?

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been receiving foreign policy briefing sessions on a wide variety of topics, providing the strongest indication yet that he is considering a run for the White House, the Huffington Post has learned.

The sessions, which were confirmed by multiple sources, have been conducted with Nancy Soderberg, a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and a Clinton Administration foreign policy adviser. One source described her as "Bloomberg's Condi."

A range of topics have been discussed, from non-proliferation to the defense budget, with a specific focus on the war in Iraq.

These sessions dramatically contradict Bloomberg's denials that he is planning to run for president. The one aspect of his possible candidacy that is considered missing is foreign policy experience. These strategy sessions with Soderberg seem clearly designed to fortify that weakness.

The Huffington Post has also learned that one of the main reasons Soderberg was chosen is that she is not currently associated with any presidential campaign.

Soderberg was serving in New York City as the vice president of multilateral affairs for the International Crisis Group, a non-profit organization. Currently, she is a distinguished visiting professor at the University of North Florida. Soderberg is regarded as an expert in a variety of regions, including Northern Ireland, Indonesia, the Middle East and Africa. She did not return a request for comment.

Bloomberg's term as mayor expires in 2009. But rumors have been rampant that he will announce a third-party White House bid before then. And despite repeatedly claiming he is not interested in the job, Bloomberg has made several political moves that suggest otherwise.

Earlier in the year he switched his party affiliation from Republican to Independent (he previously was a Democrat). And in November, The Daily Telegraph in London reported that the New York City mayor had held at least three lunch meetings with officials from England's Independence Party.

The self-made billionaire, who founded Bloomberg LP, is seen as a formidable presidential contender. His billions in wealth would allow him to run a campaign without financial restrictions. And his handling of New York City gives him highly regarded executive leadership credentials, while his bipartisan appeal would siphon off votes from the two major party candidates.

The mayor's press office did not return a request for comment.

Comments

[Swift2]

How about a Kucinich-Bloomberg ticket?

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Where is HuffPo on THIS story:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/11/21/saudi.rape.reaction/

[01202009]

I'd go down on him.

[ftprairiedog]

Jews put Israel first and America some place down the list.

[Hopalongpoppyseed]

I love you man!

[JackSlappyNotYourPappy]

.

*** Have A Very Happy Safe And Loving Thanksgiving ***

to all my huffpo friends!!

You delusional losers too!
.

[BUSHsurvivor]

Well, as a New Yorker, I can tell you that Bloomie is currently planning to charge people to drive into New York City. He calls it congestion pricing, I call it adding more trouble to the working class.

He runs New York City like a business, like Rudy, like Bush, like a CEO where cost is minimalized no matter who it affects...including the poor and middle class.

He has already said numerous times that he is not running and yet everyone jumps when he farts the wrong way. he's not exactly known outside of New York, so like Fred Thompson he would if anything start from way back trying to play catch up.

He's a billionaire and he says he's intent on being a philantropist.

This has nothing to do with a "third party" candidate...he's just not the one.

[rssrai]

I think Bloomberg is prepping to run as a VP to the repug nominee. I bet Rudy offered him the position if he was to win the repug nomination.

[HumeSkeptic]

Bloomberg is OK on most social issues - not much different than Hillary.

On the issue of war, here's what Wiki says:

"Initially, Bloomberg strongly supported the war in Iraq and the rationale for going in. He stated, "Don't forget that the war started not very many blocks from here" alluding to Ground Zero. In regard to the global War on Terrorism including Iraq he said, "It's not only to protect Americans. It's America's responsibility to protect people around the world who want to be free." His enthusiasm seems to have lessened somewhat over the course of the war. In August of 2005 he said, "I think everybody has very mixed emotions about the war that was started to find weapons of mass destruction and then they were not found." [45] Bloomberg expresses criticism about Democrats in Congress who want to set a timetable for withdraw from Iraq calling them, "irresponsible." [46]

-------------------

So, Bloomberg linked Iraq fraud (aka war) with 9/11. And Bloomberg has "mixed emotions" about the war. An he considers setting a timetable for withdrawal irresponsible.

Bloomber is also strongly "Free Trade".

No, thank you, Mr. Bloomberg. I'd rather take my chances with whoever gets the Democratic nomination.

[research]

These neocons always think the last rethug to enter the race will save the GOP! Ha! It's just a matter of time till familiarity breeds contempt.

[BoulderSue]

I admittedly know next to nothing about Bloomberg except that he is a very wealthy mayor of New York. Why does a Bloomberg candidacy leaves me feeling queasy. He would essentially be buying the presidency and would not be beholden to anybody, but I wonder if that's all good. We complain about lobbyists, wealthy backers of candidates, but would it be a good idea to have someone who may feel that once elected, he can do as he pleases. The cramming part bothers me, too. Is he just getting ready to enter a debate like a college debate team member who does not believe in the "side" he has been assigned to defend to impress the voters? If he were for real, I would have expected him to be interested in foreign affairs long ago. It sounds as though he is studying for a good grade. Once the test is over, he gets an "A", on to the next subject. My gut tells me that, though he may be smart and a good person, he's just looking for a new challenge. He' made the billions, so now what? Becoming the most powerful man on earth just to see if you can do it looks like an interesting project. The queasiness comes from a strong gut feeling that he would be doing this for power, probably benign. This is very difficult to express clearly, but my gut tells me his end, conscious or not, would be benign dictatorship. He's brighter than Bush, and certainly would operate more subtly. But he would believe that he knows absolutely what is right for this country. After all he was smart enough to make that money, win the mayorality. My gut tells me he would see himself as a kind patriarch-Daddy knows best. He makes me nervous in a way that none of the present candidates do, and some of them do make me nervous, but for reasons I can clearly identify. I may be way off base, but every time I have not listened to my gut, trouble was the result.

[OTOH]

Bloomberg is a liberal and the person he chose to coach him on foreign policy (Nancy Soderberg) is a Democrat who worked for Clinton and has criticized Bush and the neocons extensively.

Furthermore, Bloomberg is a low-profile can-do person who is likely to take decisive action on climate, health care, and other issues that nobody else in Washington seems able to tackle.

By the way, Bloomberg ran for mayor in New York as a Republican because the Democratic Party there is in-bred and wouldn't have sponsored him as an outsider. But he had been a Democrat all his life before that.

So keep an open mind on Bloomberg.

[mamacat]

Don't know much about him, but if he had the common sense to leave the Republican party, maybe he would make a good candidate. Does he believe in evolution?

[Nano]

Americans can be an odd lot ... bitch, bitch and bitch about entrenched "no-differ­ence-betwe­en-them two party rule" and when anyone outside the two party cartels emergesthe tops of your heads explode in know-it-all judgmentalism, indigation and rage ... no wonder the US dollar is floating like a brick in a sea of insolvency and debt as your "sub-prime" nightmare spreads like a financial plague around the world ... you might want to hear out someone who actuallycreated wealth productively rather than stole it

[TiffShelton]

If he offers a fresh perspective and change, I am for hearing him out.