The Saturday Crossword Is A “Challenge” . . .

. . . rewriting the law like you’re the Hugo Chavez of the Northeast is something different. And that press conference still doesn’t really provide a reason why this is a good idea:

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced on Thursday that he would abandon his earlier opposition to changing the term limits law and seek a third term as mayor, arguing that the economic crisis buffeting the nation called for continuity in municipal leadership.

“The good news is that we have planned for a slowdown in New York, but we may well be on the verge of a meltdown,” Mr. Bloomberg said, “and it’s up to us to rise to the occasion.”

He added that a third term “is a challenge I want to take on for the people of New York.”

At a noontime news conference at City Hall, the mayor did not detail how the law, which voters have twice approved through referendums, would be overhauled.

“Should the City Council vote to amend term limits, I plan to ask New Yorkers to look at my record of independent leadership and then decide if I’ve earned another term,” he said. “As always, it will be up to the people to decide, not me.”

The mayor maintained he was still a supporter of term limits. “You’re not taking away term limits,” he said. “You’re simply going from two terms to three terms.”

So if next November the economy is in better shape, we can expect that you won’t run? Is that a promise?