Via Michael Goodwin and the Post:

When I answered the phone the other day, a man identified himself as Carl or somebody and said he was calling from an “independent research” organization.

If the New York City mayoral race were held today, he asked, would I vote for Michael Bloomberg or Bill Thompson?

I said, truthfully, that I hadn’t decided, which prompted the slickest segue from my new friend.

In a nanosecond, he was speed-reading a script that made Bloomberg sound like a candidate for sainthood instead of a third term.

Hey, I interrupted loudly. You said you were from an independent organization. You lied. You’re working for Bloomberg.

I promised he could read all about his dirty trick in The Post.

Hold on for my supervisor, he said, and soon I was talking to a man with a flat Midwestern accent who identified himself as Cody Maynard.

I told him that falsely identifying his company as independent was a political no-no and asked the name of the firm and where he’s located.

“For security reasons, I can’t say,” he responded.

When I pressed, he admitted, “That’s what I’m told to say. I can’t give out any information.”

His supervisor, he swore, would call me and explain everything. I’m waiting.