Chuck Hagel, fanning the flames of third-party bid talk:

“We didn’t make any deals, but I think Mayor Bloomberg is the kind of individual who should seriously think about this,” Hagel said. “He is the mayor of one of the greatest cities on earth. He makes that city work. That’s what America wants.”
He said, “It’s a great country to think about – a New York boy and a Nebraska boy to be teamed up leading this nation.”

Hm. He lists the “New York boy” first. Is this a way of pitching himself to Mayor Bloomberg as a running mate?