The Most Important Issues In The Mayoral Race

You know mayoral candidate Fernando Ferrer is grasping at straws when he criticizes Mayor Bloomberg’s position not on affordable housing, high taxes or crime but rather Iraq, because of course one of the most important things a mayor can do is lead the country into war:

Trying to keep hard-core Democrats in his camp, Fernando Ferrer, the Democratic mayoral nominee, yesterday criticized Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg over his statements about the Iraq war and the need for more low-cost housing.

Mr. Bloomberg, who had previously said that the war was not a local issue, amended that comment yesterday by calling Iraq “a national issue and a local issue – we’ve lost 30 or so young men and women from this city.”

Yet the mayor, a Republican, also sought some political cover from Mr. Ferrer’s attack by asserting that his view on withdrawing troops was the same as the two Democratic senators from New York, Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton, who support Mr. Ferrer.

“I think everybody would love to get our troops home as quickly as is practicable,” he said, before adding that he goes “along with our senators” who have said that the troops must be supported while stationed in Iraq.

Mr. Ferrer criticized the mayor’s statements and his past financial donations and political support for President Bush and other Republicans who have supported the Iraq war.

“I don’t know what the mayor was thinking,” Mr. Ferrer said. “I think this is a local issue, and I think we should withdraw our troops. I think you also need to ask the mayor why it is he continues to support the president, the party, the Congress and the policies that have prosecuted this war.”

And that’s not to say this isn’t a two-way street. For his part, Hizzoner has tackled important city issues like John Roberts’ position on Roe v. Wade.

New York City — people here are all about the big issues!