Dark horse Manhattan DA candidate Richard Aborn (pictured) picked up an all star endorsement this morning from ex-NYPD and current Los Angeles police commish Bill Bratton.

Speaking on a conference call with reporters from Washington where he said he was attending -- what else, a conference -- Bratton praised Aborn as the best choice of the three candidates seeking to succeed the venerable Robert Morgenthau.  

Aborn has "the combination of experience, a proven track record, and a lot of creativity," said Bratton, who added: "He's a great guy also."

Asked if he'd been wooed by, or considered endorsing Aborn's two rivals -- former Judge Leslie Crocker Snyder and attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. -- Bratton gave the press conference a nice little jolt when he said: "In terms of Judge Snyder, she married my wife and I. I think the world of her. I dealt with her as a sitting judge." 

Bratton also had nice things to say about Vance with whom he said he met "to offer my thoughts to him on this race."

"I think well of the other two," he added. "Richard and I just have a higher degree of intimacy."  

The intimacy, the police commissioner said, was the result of "17 or 18 years" of working together on law enforcement issues, including the Brady gun control bill, police brutality problems in Los Angeles, and counter-terrorism efforts in London where both men were consultants.

Bratton also cited his work with Aborn as law enforcement advisors to Mark Green's failed 2001 mayoral campaign. While that might not be a political plus, the top cop was careful to also praise Mayor Bloomberg -- who has not made an endorsement in the race: "We spent a lot of time working on the 311 plan, which was part of that campaign and which candidate Mike Bloomberg and now mayor Bloomberg has taken those ideas and made them extraordinarily effective."

Bratton also praised Bloomberg for his work on "meaningful gun control and regulation" and said Aborn was best suited to help with that effort.

Snyder so far is ahead in law enforcement backing. A dozen police unions, including the Detectives Endowment Association, endorsed her last fall, long before Morgenthau's retirement announcement made it a wide-open race.

Morgenthau's blessings may be the most important to voters. Although he's barred from taking formal sides in political races -- the nine-term DA has all but endorsed Vance to replace him.