It seems like only months ago that the internet was buzzing anew with the rumors that Michael Bloomberg might run for president of these United States, perhaps with the backing of "No Labels," the political organization with which Bloomberg is affiliated that's dedicated to hugs and David Broder truthbombs and giving Harold Ford, Jr. something to do.
Since then, however, some snow fell on New York City, it became a winter wasteland and Bloomberg ended up on the receiving end of critical barbs, including this one from Brooklyn City Councilman David Greenfield: "This could easily be the beginning of the end of Mayor Bloomberg's political career."
Well, not exactly. But it does look like the Bloomberg-for-President dealie is no more:
The mayor, a keen student of power, is privately conceding to friends that he will not be a candidate for president, a position he covets, and he is coming to grips with the reality that philanthropy, even on the sky-is-the-limit scale that he is planning, will not be enough to make him a potent force in national and international affairs.
That's from Michael Barbaro of The New York Times, in a piece suggesting that Bloomberg will instead opt to spend more time with Bloomberg View, an opinion section that Alex Pareene describes as a venture where Bloomberg will pay "writers to explain that he's right about everything."
RELATED:
Bloomberg 'privately conceding' no W.H. run [Politico]
Bloomberg Testing the World of Opinion [New York Times]
Mike Bloomberg's opinion section will feature only "ideology-free" opinions [War Room @ Salon]
[Would you like to follow me on Twitter? Because why not? Also, please send tips to tv@huffingtonpost.com -- learn more about our media monitoring project here.]