Cheesecakes in Hand, Mayor Arrives for Oklahoma Summit

By GRACE RAUH, Staff Reporter of the Sun
January 7, 2008

NORMAN, Okla. — Mayor Bloomberg's possible aspirations will be at the center of a political meeting at the University of Oklahoma today that is being billed as a summit on ending partisan politics, but is considered a potential launching pad for a presidential campaign by Mr. Bloomberg.

Toting boxes of Junior's cheesecake, the mayor arrived last night for a dinner party held at the home of one of the organizers, a former senator and president of the University of Oklahoma, David Boren, telling reporters outside that he is looking forward to today's meeting.

"It's great to be back in Oklahoma," Mr. Bloomberg, who delivered a commencement speech at the university last year, said.

Mr. Bloomberg's chief political strategist and the most vocal promoter at City Hall of a possible Bloomberg presidential campaign, Kevin Sheekey, will attend the portion of today's conference that is open to the public, a spokesman for the mayor said.

A former senator of Georgia, Samuel Nunn, who organized the meeting with Mr. Boren, said they called the group of 15 current and former politicians together because "we believe the country has serious problems and we believe that the country has also let partisanship lead to polarization and we have to find a way to unwind that."

Mr. Nunn said he doesn't think the meeting has anything do with laying the groundwork for a third-party presidential candidate, but added that it's not impossible a third-party candidate would enter the race this year.

Mr. Bloomberg's participation in the conference is considered another indication that he is laying the groundwork for a national campaign by speaking out about America's future.

Mr. Bloomberg, who left the Republican Party in June, denies any plans to run for president.

Another participant, Christine Todd Whitman, a former governor of New Jersey, said the bipartisan group is coming together "to talk about how we can get our political system back on track and address the issues we need addressed."

She indicated earlier this month that she, as a Republican, is not interested in supporting a third party.

Other participants include Senator Hagel, a Republican of Nebraska, who is considered a potential running mate for Mr. Bloomberg. Two former senators and who were presidential candidates, Robert Graham and Gary Hart, also are scheduled to attend, as is a former senator and former secretary of defense under President Clinton, William Cohen.

If he does run for president, Mr. Bloomberg may need to work quickly to bolster his national reputation and give voters a clear sense of what he stands for as a candidate.

Several people interviewed in Norman yesterday said they had heard of Mr. Bloomberg and knew that he is being discussed as a potential independent presidential candidate, but few could name any specific policy ideas or positions he has held as mayor. Mr. Bloomberg's ban on trans fats in New York restaurants, however, could pose a problem in a state such as Oklahoma if he ran for president. Daniel Cotrone, a heavy-set 23-year-old with shaggy brown hair who works behind the counter at the Fat Sandwich Company in Norman, said he thought the ban would make it tough for Mr. Bloomberg to win over the South.

"They would get pretty mad about that around here," he said.

Cheesecakes in Hand, Mayor Arrives for Oklahoma Summit

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