In the transit strike and even before that, he's come across as a feisty fighter, a real mayor of the people.

There was enough dust on his desk to have an archeological dig.

Not only is the playing field not level, it's vertical, and Mike Bloomberg is standing on top of it.

Bloomberg may not engage or inspire. But as CEO, he knows how to manage a situation and stay cool.

To a great extent, Giuliani is still St. Rudy. He's still riding high on 9/11, though when it comes down to it, he's going to have a tough time in the Republican primaries as a pro-gun-control, pro-gay rights, pro-abortion rights candidate.

The mayor took his pain early on. Tax increases were substantial and hurtful, but they hurt early on, and he had time to recover.