Gothamist got a kick out of Jennifer Steinhauer's article about Mayor Bloomberg's political gameface of late, wonderfully titled (thank you, NY Times copy editors), "Mayor Bloomberg Learns to Kiss a Baby." The story included this line: "But [Bloomberg's] greatest challenge, say both supporters and adversaries, is almost intangible: convincing voters that a mayor who lacks the charisma of an Edward I. Koch or a Rudolph W. Giuliani nevertheless has the passion to continue running the most complex city in the nation." Ouchie. And it's true, New York City mayor need personality in spades, which might be why former Mayor David Dinkins recedes in many people's memories - that and the perception that crime was rampant. Whether or not Bloomberg's kind of billionaire businessman charisma is translatable into votes is up for debate, especially with some issues unresolved (the bitter negotiations between the city and teachers, for one), though some say Bloomberg's record is pretty "formidable." [Related: Check out the Mayor's Campaign Accountability Statement]

One thing Gothamist knows is that while the Mayor may have learned to kiss babies (Steinhauer didn't delve into whether or not these babies wanted to be kissed), he still looks uncomfortable, which brings the funny in our book, in pictures like this one of the Mayor and Santa at Macy's Santaland. Oh, and here's the Mayor with some babies.