The mayor of New York City has once again inserted himself as the arbiter of what is good and proper in the world.

Not satisfied with outlawing salt from every table, banning smoking in the confined spaces of Central Park, Mickey has weighed in on the longevity of the Tea Party Movement.

In a New York Times article, dated September 18th, Hizzoner speaks out on the various candidates running for governorships and congressional offices in November and is "injecting himself into marquee contests and helping candidates fend off the Tea Party."

Mickey has "described the Tea Party movement as a fad, comparing it to the short-lived burst of support for Ross Perot in 1992. The mayor suggested that the fury it had unleashed was not a foundation for leadership."

The Times also reports that Mickey has said he is "is supporting Republicans, Democrats and independents who he says are not bound by rigid ideology and are capable of compromise, qualities he says he fears have become alarmingly rare in American politics."

Of course it appears that Mickey only reads the New York Times, and treats it as gospel (or as a lost sura of the Koran, take your pick). One must come to that conclusion since Mickey is supporting Harry Reid (D-NV). As the Times reported it: "Mr. Bloomberg has embraced Mr. Reid, whose challenger, Ms. Angle, wants to phase out Social Security." Apparently Hizzoner sees similarities between his home turf of Wall Street investment houses and the casinos of Las Vegas. That has to be the motivation behind Mickey hosting a fund-raiser at his Manhattan townhouse for Harry Reid. Perhaps Bloomberg believes that New York City won't appear so dysfunctional if Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and Barak Obama bankrupt the entire country. Then, perhaps, New York's fiscal health will be given a passing grade. But only if you grade on a curve.

If the mayor's definition of a candidate who is not ideological is embodied by Harry Reid it is quite illuminating.

Although Hizzoner has weakly denied presidential aspirations, offering support for both Democrats and non-Tea Party Republicans in the 2010 midterm elections it is a classic strategy for a third-party stab at the White House in 2012. What politicians outside of Chicago politely call "coalition building" is what the rest of us call "Now you owe me!"

It appears that the Mayor of New York City is suffering an ailment common to many politicians. It is called having delusions of adequacy.

Jim Yardley is a retired financial controller, Vietnam veteran and libertarian (small "l"). Jim blogs at http://jimyardley.wordpress.com/, or he can be contacted directly at james.v.yardley@gmail.com