It’s Like He’s Saying What He’s Thinking!

It’s a good thing he has curtailed taking questions from reporters or then he’d be saying 15 or 20 stupid things each week instead of just five:

On Monday, Mr. Bloomberg had intended to placate critics — or at least, the reporters who cover him — by announcing he would take questions at campaign events. He has previously shunned the practice, forcing reporters to ask questions about his campaign at formal City Hall press briefings. Several testy exchanges have resulted.

But the mayor’s new policy arrived with strict new rules — only campaign questions at campaign press conferences, and only questions about city government at city government press conferences — that touched off immediate protest from reporters.

Then came the mayor’s remarks on Mr. Obama’s pay. Mr. Bloomberg was asked about Republican criticism of the president and first lady for their whirlwind trip to New York on Saturday night, just as General Motors prepared to file for bankruptcy.

Mr. Bloomberg defended the romantic jaunt, saying it would bolster the economy, before adding that the president, whose income puts him in the top 1 percent of Americans, “does not get paid that much” and “lives on a budget.”

Head scratching ensued. Aides said he was referring to the cost of the president’s travel and security (which is paid for by taxpayers.) And later on Monday, the mayor sought to clarify the remarks, saying “The president is worth a lot more than we pay him.”

As for his eyebrow-raising remarks, the mayor had this to say: “I am 67 years old. I am who I am.”