Bloomberg appears to be centering himself to run for president in 2012

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has long hungered to be at the center of the national debate, to be regarded as one of New York's greatest mayors, even to be seen as a possible president. If he becomes a candidate in 2012, and that is still a decided long shot, his speech Wednesday may be seen as the first volley in the battle.

In the guise of offering a blueprint to fix the broken economy, Bloomberg offered a withering critique of the broken politics practiced in Washington and Albany. The politician who started his career as a Democrat, became a Republican to run for mayor and then announced that he was an independent, took aim at left and right with equal abandon. Continue ►