It was an uncharacteristically subdued but still assertive Chris Christie who began his press conference Thursday by apologizing to “the people of New Jersey, the people of Fort Lee . . . and the state Legislature” for the traffic chaos at the George Washington Bridge inflicted by his appointees.
New Jersey’s Republican governor went on to announce the firings of a top aide and a close adviser, to promise to cooperate with all investigations and to accept blame for what his appointees did. “I don’t want any of you to confuse what I’m saying,” he declared. “I am responsible.”
He admitted he’d been wrong when he denied any involvement of his administration but said that was because his deputy chief of staff and others had lied to him. He added he’d sacked his former campaign manager, Bill Stepien, as state GOP chairman because of the “callous indifference” to the effects of this politically imposed traffic jam Stepien exhibited in his e-mails.
Predictably, the reaction in the press and on the blogosphere was immediate and focused on the wrong questions: How Christie performed at his press conference, and whether the scandal will kill his chances for the 2016 GOP nomination for president.
Certainly his reputation has taken a big hit, not least because people look to Christie to challenge the abuse of power at the expense of the public for cheap purposes. Likely this scandal will never fully go away. But it’s also possible opponents will overplay their hand, especially if nothing emerges to challenge Christie’s account.
Americans are sadly used to politicians on both sides of the political aisle who have one set of standards for themselves and another for their opponents. On Thursday, Christie pledged something different.
So the question is not how Christie “handled” his presser or what it all means for a presidential run. The question is whether New Jersey’s governor told the truth to his citizens — and can show with his actions what taking responsibility really means.