"Don't you worry, pal," said Christie, wearing white Nikes, gray suit pants and a blue fleece jacket. "I will be with the president this afternoon."
The sudden love-in between Christie and Obama entered its second day Wednesday, when the two surveyed the destruction from helicopters that glided over submerged streets, blown-out windows, and homes flattened and aflame. They walked together and posed for photos with locals and schoolkids along the coast, with Christie taking the lead, connecting physically and emotionally and acting like the president's ambassador to his cherished New Jerseyans.
"I want to just let you know that your governor is working overtime to make sure that as soon as possible, everybody can get back to normal," Obama told members of a community center in Brigantine after the helicopter ride.
At a subsequent news conference in front of a pile of boats at the Brigantine marina, Christie thanked the president for their "great working relationship" and said Obama had "sprung into action immediately."
Not long ago, such a statement from the Jersey-to-the-fullest governor might have been construed as a veiled threat. A former federal prosecutor who made his name with corruption convictions, he is the closest thing government has to a street brawler. A Springsteen-quoting Jersey native, Christie has won the hearts of conservatives for pushing tough fiscal measures, including deep cuts that were setbacks for unions, through a Democratic legislature. He has also relished his role berating anyone and everyone who stands in his way.
That has often included the president. As a leading surrogate for Republican Mitt Romney, Christie has been a regular critic of Obama on the campaign trail.
At a Romney rally 10 days (and a seeming lifetime) ago, the governor offered that Obama is "blindly walking around the White House looking for a clue," adding that "he's like a man wandering around a dark room, hands up against the wall, clutching for the light switch of leadership, and he just can't find it."
Now he is more apt to describe his relationship with Obama as "wonderful," as he did in the aftermath of the disaster.
There is no professed motivation for Christie's newfound feelings for the president, other than that the two men are now partners in a massive effort to rebuild his state. Asked about the election on "Fox Friends," Christie said, "I have no idea, nor am I the least bit concerned or interested," adding: "If you think right now I give a damn about presidential politics, then you don't know me."
A benefit in 2016?
Whether or not there is a political motivation here for the governor, there is certainly a potentially big benefit. Insofar as he is talked about as a serious contender in the 2016 presidential race — he nearly took the plunge this year — putting himself above politics to help his home state in a time of disaster is the sort of thing that voters tend to admire.
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