michael bloomberg. new york city's mayor. he's an ex-republican and ex-democrat. he's now an independent. he's in his third term as the highly visible mayor of america's largest city. before it happened today, nobody expected michael bloomberg to make an endorsement at all in this year's presidential race. that's mostly because he said he wouldn't. back in june mr. bloomberg made sure to be overheard telling people at a party in new york city he intended to remain publicly neutral in this year's presidential race. but then today he didn't. in the midst of this city's ongoing and complicated and exhausting and heartbreaking and painstaking response to this unprecedented storm, the mayor of new york city published this 17-paragraph endorsement of president obama. the fact that nobody knew it was coming and that he said he wouldn't make an endorsement just made it that much more important. as did the fact it was not at all clear if he was going to make an endorsement the guy who he would endorse would be president obama.