The weekend brought a lot of news about prospective 2012 presidential candidates:

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said "No way, no how" is he running for president. This must come as a great relief to President Obama's reelection team; a strong independent centrist would cause some real problems for them. (Although Bloomberg's announcement won't stop the talking heads from talking—I expect a lot of media chatter about Obama taking Bloomberg on as a Vice President as the election draws nearer.)

In The New York Times, Ron Paul said he's "at least 50-50" on a 2012 presidential run. He'll do a lot better than the 2% of the Republican vote he gathered in 2008 if he runs this time. And a Paul run in 2012 could split the Teabagger vote between the True Believers (the people who really want the Fed dismantled will be for Paul) and the Rebranded Republicans (the anti-gay, pro-military, Christianist American Jihad people will claim to be for small government even as they vote for Palin).

And Rick Santorum, who is not to be confused with the frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex, says he is "kicking the tires" on a presidential run. In the same article, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell says Santorum has a real chance to become the Republican candidate if Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee don't run. It is unclear if Rendell was trying to be hilarious or if he is actually an idiot.