NYC-WTC_000230742

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Continued From Page A29 about Mr. Bloomberg, a result of his States Senate last year against Hilla­ enough. H delay in announcing his decision. ry Rodham Clinton. Whether it was enough to serve What Mr. Giuliani does from now For ail his obvious reserve of man­ Mr. Bloomberg’s political needs is ment. through Election Day will color his ner, Mr. Giuliani may have gone as another matter. For the past six tn But when Mr. Giuliani finally ar­ standing with Republican leaders in far as he had to yesterday, at least in months, Mr. Bloomberg has sought rived 75 minutes late, by which time New York, who have never looked serving his own political needs. He to present himself as the next Giuli­ Z a sunny afternoon had turned cold and grey, he was so quiet in offering that fondly upon Mr. Giuliani, and pressed the message that Mr. ani, praising the mayor at every op­ tn whose opinions Mr. Giuliani might Bloomberg wanted him to raise: that portunity, and using his image in his endorsement that reporters had want to consider now that he is about Mr. Bloomberg was, because of his television commercials and mail­ to strain to hear him. He repeatedly to embark on a post-City Hall career. experience as a business leader, ings. In recent days, with polls show­ rejected invitations to attack Mr. "If he doesn’t endorse him, he’ll well-suited to lead New York though ing Mr. Bloomberg trailing Mr. Green, who for years has been one of his favorite nemeses. He made clear that, given his press of obligations, he would not have much time to go out campaign­ look like petulant Rudy again,’’ one aide said. Mr. Giuliani’s most famous en­ dorsement was in 1694, when he backed Gov. Mario M. Cuomo, a the years ahead. He stood next to Mr. Bloomberg in front of dozens of cam­ eras and television crews. He said he would gladly make television adver­ tisements. Green, even after investing more than $40 million on his campaign, Mr. Bloomberg’s aides have turned an Increasingly hopeful eye toward City Hall and Mr. Giuliani. s ing with Mr. Bloomberg. As Mr. Bloomberg spoke, Mr. Giuliani fre­ quently cast his gaze downward. Mr. Giuliani’s political situation is, in some ways, more complicated Democrat, when he ran for re-elec­ tion against George E. Pataki, then a state senator from Peekskill. At the time, Mr Giuliani attacked Mr.'Pa­ taki with such strident and intense 'And while he never took on Mr. Green, to the obvious frustration of Mr. Bloomberg’s advisers, who were hoping he would remind voters of Mr. Green’s history of battling Mr. But Mr. Giuliani stopped short of anointing anyone as his successor yesterday. And his low-voltage en­ dorsement came with fewer than 10 days left to Election Day, at a time I than Mr. Bloomberg’s. He has been language that Republicans were Giuliani, it seems unlikely that any­ when the city is distracted by war CT under increasing pressure to erase wary about supporting him during one is about to criticize this mayor at and the continuing threat of terror­ any impression he has reservations his abbreviated run for the United this time for not being partisan ism, and when many politicians be­ lieve voters have made their decision and turned their attention to more urgent matters.

O “it’s very hard to persuade people 10 days before an election, to sudden­ ly enter and say, ‘Follow me, I know best,’ " Mr. Koch said. “While he’s § H the only one who can possibly do it, 1-4 the chances of him being successful 1^ are remote.’’ to In truth, the question may be more than whether there is just enough time for Mr. Giuliani to give Mr. gw S Bloomberg the lift his advisers be­ O lieve he needs. As of yesterday after­ noon, when Mr. Giuliani had complet­ o 00

r o ed his 15 minutes with Mr. Bloom­ berg and headed back up the steps of ' City Hall to hold his daily news brief­ ing on the World Trade Center, it O o seemed as if the more appropriate co question was whether that was some­ co thing the outgoing mayor was really prepared to do. . ■ CO CO

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