Bloomberg Likes Obama, Hates Interrupting Cell Phones

Senator Barack Obama might be back in Iowa on the campaign trail, but New Yorkers are still buzzing over his coffee - and bacon and eggs and toast - klatsch with Mayor Bloomberg on Friday morning. The meeting was supposedly caught Senator Hillary Clinton off guard - and not just because it was two blocks away from her midtown offices.

Bloomberg's press secretary Stu Loeser said Bloomberg wanted to talk national policy with Obama, "[Bloomberg] 's not running for President, but he's trying to influence the national debate. He's trying to influence it in areas where it affects New Yorkers." According to the Daily News, they discussed "economy, education, homeland security and global warming."

You can hear Bloomberg discussing his breakfast with Obama ("He picked up the tab! It was great!") during his radio show (here's the MP3) - and it's notable for the Mayor's annoyance at WABC's John Gambling, whose cellphone went off twice during the show. “There it is again! Why not just turn it OFF? Shut the power off....And then you don’t have the problem anymore. Or can’t you turn it to vibrate?... It makes a terrible noise.”

Photograph of Obama and Bloomberg leaving the Midtown Luncheonette on Friday by Diane Bondareff/AP