Inside the Christie bubble: Jersey peers take the denials with a pound of salt

(By Mitchell Blumenthal, Capital New York) - Chris Christie had no sooner returned from a two-month, 20,000-mile, 15-state tour on behalf of an extensive lineup of Republican candidates than he said he is definitely not seeking the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

Pummeled with questions, Christie, who has been governor for less than a year, told a gaggle of reporters in Trenton last week: “Short of suicide, I don’t really know what I’d have to do to convince you people that I’m not running.” Days later, on "Meet the Press," where all unambitious politicians show up on Sunday mornings, he explained his activity by saying, “I care about my country and felt like those people were the absolute best candidates to make my country a better place … That’s why I campaigned for them. I have no other agenda.”

But professional political types in New Jersey see Christie’s aggressive displays of disinterest for what they are: meaningless, if necessary, theater. His allies and enemies alike agree that he has played his Angry Governor role to great political effect so far, a notion supported by his standing in the public polls. They also agree, Republicans as readily as Democrats, that the current crop of prospective G.O.P. presidential talent outside their state is extraordinarily weak.