Bloomberg Presidential Buzz Grows

"A short, Jewish billionaire from New York?" Bloomberg said. "C'mon."

But, in fact, Bloomberg is seriously considering the idea. Worth more than $5 billion, he could spend less than a quarter of his net worth and be more than able to compete financially. But if Bloomberg runs, he doesn't want to make a point, as did fellow billionaire Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996. He wants to win. Whether or not he ultimately thinks he can will make all the difference in the world.

Arash Ghadishah and Avery Miller contributed to this report