The Cloak of 2008

Instead of a closer look at their records, the presidential trail is a place to run away from one's record. Thus, the narrative in their final days in office is about the presidential road ahead of them, not the local office behind them.

It is counter-intuitive, but it's an argument I heard from someone earlier.

Without the presidential run, a less flattering narrative would prevail, like, "What year did he really leave office and why did spending go up so much on his watch," says Spin Cycle.

Or, in the case of Rudy Giuliani, there is a fate worse than lameduckness.

"How long could he go on as America's Mayor before they'd be booking him at security-device trade shows in Tampa," the site's administrator asks.

As for Mike Bloomberg, the 2008 buzz is "proving that no pol can live by trans-fat alone."