Congressman Peter King King is a political tease. He's always talking about running for something bigger, then backs off when it's time to really take the plunge.

We still haven't quite acknowledged that our leaders never adequately warned the men and women working around the smoldering site that the place where they were flinging themselves into duty was a toxic landmine.

Imagine how surprised and delighted New Yorkers must have been when they awoke to find the city is embarking on a Democratic runoff -- a two-week political steel cage match to decide the nominations for public advocate and comptroller.

Democratic voters might well prefer Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. But this hardly seems like the sort of situation that requires an emergency intervention by the most powerful person on the planet.

The Working Families Party wants New York to believe that it can make or break a Democrat running in a tough primary, and that therefore everybody had better treat their issues, and opinions, with extreme respect.