Seriously, Anderson's future in Washington bureaucracy seems dim as long as Republicans control the Capitol. Even if Democrats take over soon, some say Anderson has burned too many bridges to get a look from party leadership.

For instance, Salt Lake County Councilman Joe Hatch, who used to run the Salt Lake Democratic Party, notes Massachusetts Democrats, who hold serious weight in Washington, are still fuming about Anderson's endorsement of Republican Mitt Romney for governor of their state.

In another slap, Anderson criticized Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry for not crossing a picket line during the campaign last year. To make matters worse, Anderson publicly announced he was trading his vote for Kerry with a voter from a swing state who wanted to vote for Independent candidate Ralph Nader. Under the swap, Anderson pledged to vote Nader (since Utah would obviously vote for Bush) if the voter in the swing state went for Kerry.

Locally, Anderson has caused more consternation by backing Republican Sheriff Aaron Kennard and for saying that if he doesn't run again himself, he wants former City Councilman Keith Christensen, a Republican, to take his place.

"As a Democratic mayor, he'd have to stop endorsing Republicans," Hatch said. "This tendency on his part won't help him among Democratic loyalists."

Anyway, Hatch said, Anderson doesn't really have the personality to be a government bureaucrat.

"He's an absolutist," Hatch said. "How can you be a bureaucrat and be an absolutist?"

For these reasons: Anderson's anti-Republican views, his uncertain status among national Democrats and his probable lack of desire to become a Washington bureaucrat. Lobbyist Frank Pignanelli, who ran against Anderson in 2003, thinks the mayor will settle for a third term, which most people believe he can probably win.

Anderson isn't going to get a federal appointment, and the mayor's brash personality means no advocacy group will want him, said Pignanelli, a political columnist for the Deseret Morning News.

"I think he desperately would like to do something else" but, "he has nothing to do outside Salt Lake City," Pignanelli said. "The bottom line for a lot of these (national) organizations is they want someone to go out and do fund-raising and build coalitions and get things accomplished."

Anderson is too in-your-face to be that person, Pignanelli said.

"They're going to want someone who can do more than just give speeches," he said.

Others, who hold higher esteem for Anderson than Pignanelli does, say there are places in Washington where Anderson could fit.