Mayor Bloomberg Refuses to Take the Goggles

Mayor Bloomberg was up in the Bronx today to celebrate the the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new Home Depot in the soon-to-be-opening Gateway Mall. While he posed for pictures in the orange apron worn by employees, the mayor refused to put on safety goggles while a nearby manager cut a small piece of wood with an electric saw. When asked why he wouldn't, Bloomberg said, "The last guy to put on a pair was Dukakis." Of course, the mayor is referring to Dukakis's infamous tank picture, where he posed inside a tank (though not in goggles) during the '88 presidential race while trying to bolster his reputation on defense, only to have the shot be used mockingly by the Bush campaign. What exactly does the mayor fear Bill Thompson might do with such an image—attack his support of city pools? While at Home Depot, Bloomberg also boasted that he has built bookshelves by hand and painted his own apartment before, likely while working up a hearty appetite for a Shake 'n Bake feast.