With just one paragraph, Chris Christie proved last night that he has no business even thinking about running for president--and should give some serious thought to resigning as governor of New Jersey.
The last week has certainly tested this Administration. Mistakes were clearly made. And as a result, we let down the people we are entrusted to serve. I know our citizens deserve better. Much better.
No, Governor. This wasn't just a mistake. This was a fundamental betrayal of the most basic trust that citizens have in a democracy--that their government won't deliberately do something to put them in danger. When all the hyperbole is exhausted, we are left with the stark fact of a cabal of staffers close to Christie's administration shutting down lanes on the busiest bridge on the planet, knowing full well that it would play hell not only with traffic, but also with the safety and well-being of people whose only "crime" was not supporting their boss. We actually found ourselves wondering whether someone died as a result of this. The mere fact we even had to ask that question is proof by itself that this wasn't just a mistake. It was an outrageous and criminal act.
Then again, maybe Christie is right. A mistake was made. The mistake, however, was made by Christie himself. Let's assume that Christie really was completely in the dark about his staffers' involvement in this stunt. Granted, that assumption that looks even more laughable than it already was, given that on the third day of this massive FUBAR he was seen with David Wildstein, a guy with whom he claims to have had no interaction worth mentioning. But even if it is true that Christie didn't know what was happening, then at minimum he has tacitly admitted that he can't control his own people. If this account is true, then there is no way in the world anyone on Christie's staff would have pulled this stunt--especially this close to 9-11--unless an environment had been fostered in which this sort of behavior was acceptable. Now consider that Christie is constitutionally the most powerful governor in the continental United States. That, ladies and gentlemen, is why nobody believes he didn't know what was happening--after all, given how much day-to-day authority he has, how could he not have known?
As I wrote on Monday, I believe that there is enough out there about this scandal to demand that Christie resign. By trying to fob this off as a "mistake," to my mind Christie offered even more proof of why it's time for him to go. He doesn't understand, or refuses to understand, that having a rogue staff isn't just a mistake. Any governor who fosters a culture in which it is even remotely acceptable to put people's lives in danger for voting the wrong way is a governor who is unfit for office. It is time for Christie to resign. Resign now, sir!