Now I Wanna Be Your Sister Souljah

Is the mayor running for President or something? Here he is channeling Rod Paige:

Bolstered by a vote of confidence from 100 civic leaders, Mayor Bloomberg yesterday took aim at what he called “special interests” trying to derail his education reforms, and compared the tactics of the teachers union to those of gun lobbyists.

In doing so, the mayor borrowed a page from President Bush’s tough-talk play book against terrorism and gave his critics a stark choice: “You’re either with our children, or against our children.”

And then there’s the ultimate McCain-Feingold work-around — a sort of 501(c)(3) PAC*:

Among the leaders to join the mayor were many whose organizations have contracts with the school system or have benefited from his personal philanthropic largess, including the Haitian Centers Council, 100 Black Men of New York and the Bronx Council on the Arts.

Bloomberg angrily objected to questions about his ties to his supporters, calling them “people who are dedicating their lives to trying to help this city and make it better.”

*Bloomberg poops more than Mitt Romney will ever make, no matter how much they tithe; if you want his support, fund his favorite charity.