There's a silly little game that politicians and political correspondents play from time to time.  It's: I-know-something-that-I-know-you-know-but-I'm-still-not-going-to-tell-you-so-there.

     The latest persona to play  is Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero.

     He was was in Detroit Friday night attending a cattle call put on by the Michigan Education Association which invited all the potential candidates for governor to meet at the Marriott Hotel.

     With his elementary school principal spouse at his side, Bernero waded into the crowd pressing the flesh, smiling for the cameras and doing all the other stuff a candidate for governor would do.

    But when it came time to appear on camera to talk about his decision, Bernero, like others before him, suddenly lost his ability to tell it like it is.

     So you are announcing on Monday you are running for governor?

     "I'll have an announcement on Monday," he began his song and dance.

      Well if you were not running, why are you be here on a Friday night when you could be home?

      "I have not been compared to the other candidates and this is a chance to do that.  Maybe I will bomb here?" he spoke as his nose began to grow ever so slightly.

       Your web sight says, "I'm running for governor."

        "You know how campaigns make mistakes," his nose grows even longer and on and on it went for about two minutes.

       Finally, he gives a little ground.

       You are 90% there?

       "That's a fair statement," the Mayor reflects

       And on Monday you'll be 100% there?

       "I hope so," he observes.

       See how stilly this stuff is.  It underscores how most politicians want to control their own agenda and understandably so, but come on, all he had to do was look in the camera and say, "Off the record, I'm am running for governor."

       On the record he will say it in Detroit, Grand Rapids and his home town on Monday.