Bloomberg Now Bullish on McCain

July 24, 2008— -- Mike Bloomberg plans to re-inject himself into the presidential campaign on Friday by talking up John McCain in a speech to the Independence Party of Minnesota.

Bloomberg will praise McCain's record of bucking his own party while stopping short of making a formal endorsement.

Yes, this is the same Mike Bloomberg who went to Florida last month to denounce what he called a "whisper campaign" in the Jewish community linking Barack Obama to Islam.

McCain, who has long enjoyed a positive relationship with Bloomberg, recently ingratiated himself with New York's billionaire mayor by discussing education reform behind closed doors with Joel Klein, the chancellor of the New York City school system.

The Bloomberg speech on independent leadership, which will tout McCain, takes place in Minneapolis at 9:00 am ET.

Before Bloomberg ruled out an '08 bid of his own, the Independence Party of Minnesota tried to draft him into the presidential race.

McCain recently met with the chairman of the Independence Party of Minnesota which will consider a presidential endorsement this weekend.

Party chair Craig Swaggert says he finds Obama inspirational but he thinks McCain has a longer record of deviating from party orthodoxy.

Bloomberg will also be prodding the two parties to pay more attention to the nation's infrastructure needs on Friday.

At a 3:00 pm ET press conference at the St. Paul Hotel, Bloomberg joins Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell (in person) plus California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (via satellite) for a press conference calling on both parties to adopt an infrastructure plank in their party platforms.

This bipartisan group, Building America's Future, wants the feds to make "smarter, less politicized" investment decisions as the nation approaches the one-year anniversary of the Minneapolis Bridge Collapse.

Bloomberg will take questions from the press at both events.

Obama Meets with French President:

Barack Obama heads to France on Friday for a meeting with Gingrich favorite Nicolas Sarkozy.

The two men are expected to hold a joint press conference.

McCain Meets with Dalai Lama:

McCain meets with the Dalai Lama in Aspen, Colo., at 4:30 pm ET on Friday. The Arizona senator is expected to make brief remarks. Campaigning Thursday in Columbus, Ohio, McCain called the Dalai Lama, "a transcendent international role model and hero" for his work not only in Tibet but around the world.

The kicker:

"She never said that -- it got translated by bloggers into something that had actually been said."

--Minnesota Gov. and McCain V.P. Prospect Tim Pawlenty to ABC News on whether his wife refers to him as "45," as in the 45th president of the United States. Former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman, his tongue "planted in cheek," made the crack about the presidential pet name during an April fundraiser for Pawlenty.

On the campaign front. . .

JOHN MCCAIN

-- 1:30 pm ET: Attends the 2008 American GI Forum of the United States National Convention, Denver, CO.

-- 4:30 pm ET: Attends meeting with the Dalai Lama, Aspen, CO.

BARACK OBAMA

-- Meets with French President Sarkozy in France.

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG

-- 9:00 am ET: Speaks at an Independence party fundraiser, Minneapolis, MN.

-- 3:00 pm ET: Joins Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell and California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (via satellite) for a press conference calling on both parties to adopt an infrastructure plank to their party platforms, St. Paul, MN.

At the White House. . .

PRESIDENT BUSH

--1:35 pm ET: Attends a private congressional campaign fundraiser, Peoria, IL.

INTERN FOR THE ABC NEWS POLITICAL UNIT:

The ABC News Political Unit is now seeking three full-time fall interns in Washington, D.C.

The internship begins Monday, Aug. 4 and runs through Friday, Dec. 12.

Not only do Political Unit interns attend political events and collaborate on stories for the politics page of ABCNews.com, they also help us by conducting research, maintaining contact lists, and monitoring conference calls convened for reporters by the presidential campaigns.

In order to apply, you MUST be either a graduate student or an undergraduate student who has completed his or her first year of college.

The internship is NOT open to recent graduates.

You also must be able to work eight hours per day, starting early, Monday through Friday.

Interns will be paid $8.50/hour.

If you write well, don't mind getting up early, and have some familiarity with web publishing, send a cover letter and resume to teddy.davis@abc.com as soon as possible, with the subject line: "INTERN" in all caps.

Please indicate in your cover letter the dates of your availability.

POLITICAL NEWS STORIES ON ABCNEWS.COM

ABC News' Jennifer Parker: Obama Echoes Reagan in Call for Global Unity LINK

ABC News' Jennifer Parker: McCain: Obama's Plan Could 'Reverse' Progress in Iraq LINK

ABC News' Sam Donaldson: McCain's Tough Week LINK

ABC News' Teddy Davis: Bloomberg Bullish on McCain LINK

ABC News' Natalie Gewargis: Obama, McCain Continue Fight Over Battleground States LINK

ABC News' David Wright: McCain at the Sausage Haus LINK

ABC News' Jake Tapper: Obama Scrubs Visit to See Troops in Germany; Says "Inappropriate" Since Campaign Funding European Swing LINK

ABC News' Jake Tapper: Obama On Tonight's Berlin Speech: "A Crapshoot" LINK

Obama in Berlin: 'The Burdens of Global Citizenship Continue to Bind Us Together' LINK

POLITICAL VIDEO ON ABCNEWS.COM:

Obama Draws Large Crowds in BerlinDemocratic candidate follows in footsteps of Reagan and JFK. LINK

McCain Finds Germany in OhioBad weather changes schedule, stops in Ohio restaurant. LINK

Bush in the Dog House?Some Republicans are displeased with President Bush's housing plans. LINK

McCain Visits Sausage HausMcCain: "I'd love to give a speech in Germany," but I'd prefer it as president. LINK

Obama Spreads Unity in BerlinSen. Obama recounts history and calls for global unity in Berlin, Germany. LINK

Obama Changes Language on JerusalemThe Democratic candidate is grilled on Middle East peace interests and Iran. LINK

Sam on McCain's Tough WeekABC News' Sam Donaldson weighs in on Sen. McCain's difficult week. LINK

Obama's European Debut: GermanySenator's campaign pulls out all the stops ahead of his speech in Berlin. LINK

Covering McCain: J.V. Status?GOP hopeful's media exposure dwarfed by coverage of rival's overseas trip. LINK

Congress Tosses Out a LifelineA new housing bill will help homeowners refinance their homes. LINK

Overlooked?Is John McCain correct about the media's infatuation with Barack Obama? LINK

Kimmel: Slow Days for McCain Jimmy feels bad for the senator whose recent appearance was at a supermarket. LINK