The chances of Sen. Chuck Hagel joining New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on an independent presidential ticket seem to be dimming, with Bloomberg distancing himself from the Nebraska Republican on Monday.

The New York Times reported Saturday about a talk one of its reporters had last week with Hagel, during which Hagel said he had spoken with Bloomberg in the past about possibly being the billionaire’s running mate.

The story contained no quotes, but paraphrased Hagel as saying the rise of John McCain - popular with independents and moderates - as the GOP nominee closes Bloomberg’s window of opportunity to jump in the race.

The Press of Atlantic City concurs that Bloomberg’s chances would improve if the Republicans were to nominate a far-right candidate - a description that does not fit McCain - and the Democrats, one from the far left.

Michael Bloomberg continues to deny a run for the White House.

While Barack Obama is considered farther left than Hillary Clinton - he was judged to have the most liberal voting record in the Senate last year by the National Journal - he is by far a less divisive figure than she.

Asked Monday about Chuck Hagel’s claim that the two discussed running on a ticket, Bloomberg flatly denied that any such conversation took place, and portrayed his relationship with the senator as a distant one.

“I have met him a couple of times … and I never talked to him about being the candidate, and not about who, if I were to run, which I’m not, who you would pick,” Michael Bloomberg said. “We never had that conversation.”

Bloomberg-Hagel speculation began last May when they shared a not very secret dinner in Washington. Then, Hagel said in a television interview that it was time for a third-party candidacy to shake things up.

He also mused about the idea of him and Bloomberg running together.

“It’s a great country to think about - a New York boy and a Nebraska boy to be teamed up leading this nation,” Hagel said last spring.

Despite McCain’s status, Bloomberg political operatives have spent months assembling the skeleton of a nationwide ballot-access movement, CBS News reports, believing the Mayor can wait until May to evaluate his options.

Candidate or not, earlier this week, Michael Bloomberg addressed the United Nations and urged swift action to curb climate change.

He reiterated his call for a carbon tax, suggested that congestion pricing could be a model for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in other cities and announced a plan to reduce the city’s use of tropical hardwoods.