Mann Up . . .

And did Elliot Spitzer take a prostitute across state lines, in violation of the anti-“white slavery” Mann Act? Kind of a tough one to try to explain:

The wiretap recording, made during an investigation of a prostitution ring called Emperors Club VIP, captured a man identified as Client 9 on a telephone call confirming plans to have a woman travel from New York to Washington, where he had reserved a room. The person briefed on the case identified Mr. Spitzer as Client 9.

Spitz-Take: He Got Caught Doing What?!

Oh no. It may actually come to pass now that Spitzer finds himself on the wrong side of a press conference about a prostitution ring:

Mr. Spitzer, a first-term Democrat who pledged to bring ethics reform and end the often seamy ways of Albany, is married with three children.

Lie Down With Dogs, Wake Up With Fleas

And narsty Hep A:

Madonna and Ashton Kutcher are among the more than 700 patrons of the ultra-hip bar Socialista who are being urged by heath officials to get vaccinated for Hepatitis A after a bartender was discovered to be carrying the infection.

The barkeep, who recently returned from a South American vacation, was likely putting limes in mojitos and preparing other garnishes with bare hands — a not-uncommon shortcut of Health Code protocol in New York’s night spots. But the Health Department found another violation when they inspected Socialista this week: no soap for hand washing.

Hepatitis A is spread by putting something in one’s mouth that has been contaminated with traces of fecal matter from an infected person. Health officials issued a warning Thursday, asking anyone who visited the bar on Feb. 7, 8 or 11 to get a vaccination as a precaution. No additional cases of illness have been identified.

Socialista is the epitome of exclusivity: There’s a $600 minimum to sit down at one of its tables. Former Bungalow 8 doorman Armin Amiri spent an estimated $2 million to open the 1940s-Cuba-flavored West Village Café last May with a group of investors led by Giuseppe Cipriani and Sting’s wife, Trudie Styler.

Close The Door — Close It! Close It!

I’m guessing the “empirical” doesn’t include the fact that Bloomberg’s final remaining positive attribute — a meaningless nod to “nonpartisanship”* — has been overtaken by events, specifically McCain’s meaningless nod to “nonpartisanship” and Obama’s meaningless nod to “nonpartisanship”:

A venture capitalist who founded a company expressly to support a presidential run by Mayor Bloomberg, and who is conducting nationwide voter analysis for the mayor, says his data show that Mr. Bloomberg can win the White House.

James Robinson IV, the founder of the technology and data analysis company Symposia Group, told The New York Sun he believes that “empirically, he can win,” even with the emergence of Senator McCain as the Republican front-runner.

After starting the company in December 2006, Mr. Robinson’s team, which he says includes people at the “top of the game” in search intelligence and database analysis, spent more than nine months building a technology system that attempts to gauge the thinking of Americans on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood, and even house-by-house, basis.

. . .

Mr. Bloomberg says repeatedly that he is “not a candidate,” but his high-profile appearances and speeches indicate he is trying to keep his options open. He did, however, deviate from his standard denial yesterday, when speaking to employees of Google at the company’s offices in the city.

After saying that he’s not a candidate for president, he went further than usual, adding that he’ll “stay that way.”

His subtle change in tone may be linked to Mr. McCain’s surge, which some political observers say makes it less likely Mr. Bloomberg will run.

Scott Rasmussen, the president of Rasmussen Reports, which conducts presidential polls, said he is fairly confident Mr. McCain will be the Republican nominee and that if Mr. Bloomberg is taking a serious look at the field right now, “he is seeing the door closing.”

. . .

Mr. Bloomberg’s possible presidential aspirations appeared to take a hit yesterday when Governor Schwarzenegger endorsed Mr. McCain for president. The California governor had said previously that he would not back a candidate in the race, leading some political observers to speculate that he was holding out to see if Mr. Bloomberg jumped into the fray.

Both advocate a nonpartisan, pragmatic approach to government, and Mr. Schwarzenegger has called Mr. Bloomberg his “soulmate.”

*And if you want to start talking about the Mayor’s nonpartisan legacy, examine the record.

A Chicken In Every Pot . . . With Forks Stuck In Each

One thing you want to avoid if you’re running for president is negative polling showing you would lose handily in virtually any head-to-head hypothetical matchup:

Mayor Bloomberg would lose the presidential vote in key states and even in New York City were he to run, according to a SurveyUSA poll commissioned by WABC. Despite his strong approval ratings in the city — currently 73% according to Quinnipiac University — Mr. Bloomberg would be able to claim, in his best scenario, 28% of the vote in a three-way race between Senator Obama and Michael Huckabee, losing easily to Mr. Obama. He fares even worse in other hypothetical match-ups, securing only 18% of the vote against fellow New Yorkers, Senator Clinton and Mayor Giuliani, and 21% against Ms. Clinton and Senator McCain.

Mr. Bloomberg faces hurdles in key states as well, maxing out at 16% of the vote in neighboring Pennsylvania, according to the poll. In California, which has more electoral votes than any other state and would likely be critical to a presidential victory, he does no better than 12%. The survey finds that one in four national voters do not know who Mr. Bloomberg is, and that only 11% have a favorable impression. No more than 13% say they would vote for him in a presidential election.