Al Sharpton likes the idea of Bloomberg for prez; Writes semi-endorsement of Bloomy in NY Daily News

Next week, Mayor Bloomberg is attending a bipartisan meeting in Oklahoma hosted by former Sen. David Boren that is intended, as Boren puts it, to be "shock therapy" for all presidential candidates to grapple with the issues rather than each other, and, if they don't, perhaps Bloomberg will run.

As one who has employed shock therapy on occasion to get the system to work, I support such a meeting - and am keenly interested in what a Bloomberg candidacy would mean for America. If I were his adviser (which I am not), I would urge him to base the core of his domestic platform on the notion that education is the civil rights issue for the 21st century, because without it, one cannot pursue the American Dream.

This focus on education would not be new to the mayor. He demanded - and received - control of the city's unwieldy education system so that one person could be held accountable. He has challenged all of us, including me, to reevaluate our notions of what constitutes a sound and basic education, and he has made progress, however imperfect.

While I am not endorsing Mayor Bloomberg for President, I am endorsing the idea that a Bloomberg candidacy centered on education as a civil right would be good for America.