WASHINGTON -- And you thought a Bagel was just a roll with a hole. It could also be the celebrity-couple name for an independent presidential ticket featuring Mayor Bloomberg and Sen. Chuck Hagel.
At least if you listen to Hagel, a Nebraska Republican whose name has been floated as an independent White House candidate almost as often as the mayor's.
The two even had dinner last week to talk about such things.
"Well, we didn't make any deals, but I think Mayor Bloomberg is the kind of individual who should seriously think about this," Hagel said on CBS' "Face the Nation" yesterday.
The Nebraskan has waffled on his own 2008 plans, but polls show that amid dissatisfaction with the current lineup, there could still be an opening in the GOP field. Surveys also suggest the public might welcome a third party.
Bloomberg has repeatedly denied he plans to run for President. But Hagel smiled at the idea of them joining forces - although he didn't say who would head his dream ticket.
"It's a great country to think about a New York boy and a Nebraska boy to be teamed up leading this nation," he said.