New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg seems finally to have cleared up any uncertainty about whether he’d run an independent campaign for president this year. In an op-ed in today’s New York Times, the Mayor stated “I listened carefully to those who encouraged me to run, but I am not — and will not be — a candidate for president.”

It almost goes without saying that Bloomberg won’t run because now he’s quite sure he can’t win. Things might have been different if early predictions of a Hillary-Rudy contest had actually panned out, or if Huckabee hadn’t upset Romney’s dominance with the Republican base, and “Mac” had not come back. Instead, we’re looking at a probable Obama victory in the next two weeks, and an all-but guaranteed McCain nomination this summer. In a race pitting McCain’s maverick breed of conservatism against Obama’s anti-establishment, “come together” populism, there just isn’t room for a third party candidate seeking independent votes.

The painful work of forswearing a presidential bid behind him, Bloomberg still had a few inches of precious Times Op-Ed real estate to exploit, so he issued this lukewarm challenge to the remaining candidates:

In the weeks and months ahead, I will continue to work to steer the national conversation away from partisanship and toward unity; away from ideology and toward common sense; away from sound bites and toward substance. And while I have always said I am not running for president, the race is too important to sit on the sidelines, and so I have changed my mind in one area. If a candidate takes an independent, nonpartisan approach — and embraces practical solutions that challenge party orthodoxy — I’ll join others in helping that candidate win the White House.

I’m not entirely convinced a candidate has to “challenge party orthodoxy” to embrace practical solutions, avoid soundbites, and work toward unity. After all, it’s not as if past leaders who have reached across the aisle to advance sensible, centrist policies have abandoned their own parties in the process. Quite the opposite—when Democrats and Republicans come together to solve problems, they tend to draw their respective parties closer to the center, gradually but fundamentally changing party orthodoxy.

Still, these sentiments are welcome indeed, and for the first time in a long while they might match the will of a majority of American voters. So, Mr. Bloomberg, thank you for your promise to support the candidate who puts substance, common sense and pragmatism ahead of partisanship. I have just one question: What if they both do?

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