WILL CHRISTIE JUMP IN? – AT 9:40 P.M. ET:  No governor has gotten more press in recent months than Chris Christie, the, uh, heavily set Republican governor of New Jersey.  He has become something of a folk hero, leading to the inevitable questions about a presidential run.  Christie has said no, but we see a bit of an opening.  From The Politico:

One of Chris Christie's top political advisers revealed that he is considering formation of a federal political action committee because of the extraordinary interest in the New Jersey governor.

Bill Palatucci, often described as Christie's "political godfather," said that not forming such a fundraising committee would be "leaving money on the table."

In other words, the pols see a chance to seize the moment.

Palatucci, Christie's former law partner, made the remarks even as he tried throwing cold water on the notion that the governor — who's gotten acclaim from national Republicans — is taking steps designed toward a presidential run.

"If reporters would look for a second below the surface, they'd see I've never been to Iowa," Palatucci said, adding that another adviser, Mike DuHaime, "has not been to New Hampshire. There have been no lawyers hired to advise or investigate a presidential run."

But on the possibility of forming a federal committee, the newspaper quoted Palatucci as saying: 'I might frankly contemplate that. There's so much interest out there; it's leaving money on the table by not having one."

COMMENT:  This doesn't come as a complete surprise, but it's a long way from here to there.   Christie has become famous for taking on special interests in New Jersey.  You have to cheer the guy and his guts.  However, he's a relatively new governor, with no foreign-policy experience, and his confrontational manner, effective at the local level, might not click when the office sought is the presidency.  We still have months to observe him before a decision about 2012 is called for.  And observe we should. 

By the way, Christie's sheer physical size is not a joke, although we can hear the late-night jokes already.  If he runs, his medical condition will be an issue, whether it's fair or not.  I am not a physician – we have many physicians among our readership – and I don't know how an honest evaluation of his physical situation can be made.  Comments are welcome. 

February 20, 2011