Ray Gustini at National Journal riffs on Chris Christie:

Loud, reasonable, union-busting New Jersey governor Chris Christie has emerged as a national figure since ousting Jon Corzine 15 months ago, and just might be the GOP 2012 presidential front runner if he was actually, you know, interested in running for president. This hasn’t stopped Beltway journalists from speculating about the immense appeal a Christe candidacy would hold for a large bloc of voters who hate out-of-control Washington spending but also think the president is an OK guy who wasn’t born in Kenya, Indonesia, or the Al Jazeera kitchenette.