Editorial Of The Day

From the editor of the Newark Star-Ledger:

Now that Christie has been knocked back, the leading candidate for the GOP nomination is Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, recently famous for his bizarre rant about women’s libido. And when he fades, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas will be waiting to pick up the pieces. If one of the tea party favorites gets the Republican nomination, then the country is at risk. Because as we have just seen, one scandal can flip the board in politics. What if Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee, and some dark secret emerges about her tenure as secretary of state? How does President Rand Paul sound to you? Now ask yourself this: If the Republican primary came to a choice between Paul and Christie, which candidate would you endorse? At the risk of repeating a mistake, I’d pick Christie in that primary, even now. And if you think that makes some sense, then you understand how excruciating the endorsement process can be.

So he regrets his paper's endorsement of Christie, but....

Chris Christie To Speak At CPAC

Last year the Tea Party's CPAC snubbed Chris Christie for being a RINO. But now that Democrats are gleefully jumping on the Bridgegate scandal, he's coming back.

“We are very excited to announce that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will speak at CPAC 2014. At this year’s CPAC - and through our theme ‘ACU’s Golden Anniversary: Getting It Right for 50 Years’ - we will celebrate how conservatism has shaped our past and look to the future with excitement,” the chairman of the American Conservative Union, the group organizing the confab, Al Cardenas said in a statement. “This will be the year that conservatives begin pulling the nation back from the brink of Barack Obama’s disaster with a movement that inspires, unites, and discovers new solutions to our current challenges.”

Other top Republicans to appear at the event: Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Bobby Jindal, Rick Santorum, Rand Paul, and Paul Ryan. Sarah Palin is currently listed as "invited" but she has not confirmed.

Bruce Springsteen & Jimmy Fallon - Gov. Christie Traffic Jam

Karl Rove On Chris Christie

"I don't think the Tea Party is going to seize upon Fort Lee and the George Washington Bridge as their defining difference with Christie. In fact, I think he's handling to this [sic] – being straightforward, taking action, saying 'I'm responsible firing people' – probably gives him some street cred with Tea Party Republicans who say, 'That's what we want in a leader, somebody who steps up and takes responsibility.'" - Karl Rove, speaking yesterday on Fox News Sunday.

Rasmussen Poll On Christie

Source.

Letterman's Chris Christie Top Ten

Today's New York City Tabloids

Humphrey Bogart's Estate Is Shocked

Fox News Defends Chris Christie

Josh Feldman recaps:

Bill O’Reilly finally tackled the Chris Christie “Bridgegate” scandal on Thursday night, and he mostly defended Christie against the criticisms lobbed against him, especially the “bully” label. Laura Ingraham joined O’Reilly and pointed out that Republicans will also be gunning for Christie too, because for years now conservatives have been unhappy with the moderate Christie and his embrace of President Obama during Hurricane Sandy. Ingraham said Christie’s press conference was “as best as you can do in these circumstances,” reminding O’Reilly that a lot of Republicans just outright hate Christie, so he has to decide if he’s going to be a “punching bag” going forward.

Today's New York City Tabloids

Feds To Investigate Chris Christie

Via the New York Times:

Federal prosecutors in New Jersey will begin a preliminary inquiry into the lane closures in Fort Lee, according to a law enforcement source. A source with knowledge of the plans said that the United States attorney for New Jersey, Paul J. Fishman, would announce the investigation on Thursday morning. The decision to open an inquiry came after the matter was referred to the office by the inspector general for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which controls the bridge, the source said. The fallout from the release of the emails, which are as brazen as they are blunt, reverberated nationally, threatening to undermine the political future of Mr. Christie, one of the leading figures in the Republican Party and a likely candidate for the party’s presidential nomination in 2016.

The Tea People, who have always loathed Christie, are doing cartwheels over this scandal because (in their minds) this brings us closer to having a Canadian president.

Christie Fires Top Aide

Kelly was Christie's deputy chief of staff. (Graphic source)