The former Mayor read, word for word, a short statement, blandly passed word that Percy Sutton also backs Freddy, and proceeded to refuse to criticize Mayor Bloomberg in any way.

"I very carefully crafted the statement I want to make," Dinkins told reporters, in case that wasn't clear.

Will Freddy be a better Mayor than Mike?

"We'll see."

The endorsement, he said, is only proper after his own years of support from fellow Democrats, including those, like Freddy, with whom his relationship was sometimes rocky.

"I'm a Democrat," Dinkins said, and alluded to Democratic officials who back Bloomberg. "It's a little difficult for me to understand those who have drunk from the well, as it were, and now might be seen as poisoning the well."

Who are we talking about here?

"Ed Koch is an excellent example."

But the oddity of the event doesn't diminish the importance of the endorsement. Just as polls always show that Sharpton's impact, even among black voters, is mixed, they find that a Dinkins endorsement is hugely valuable in seeking African-American votes. And an endorsement is an endorsement.