Chris Christie Is So Freakin’ Tough, Vladimir Putin Quakes in His Boots

At least, that's what Christie would have you believe.

The New York Times has a story today about Gov. Chris Christie’s trip to Mexico — and how he may be using the trip to burnish the foreign policy bona fides that are typically pretty difficult for a governor to earn.

Our favorite part of the story? This hilarious anecdote:

A few days after Russian forces invaded Crimea, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey was asked at a confidential meeting of Republican activists how he would have handled the situation differently from President Obama.

It was not, according to several of those in attendance, a tough or unexpected inquiry. But Mr. Christie, usually known for his oratorical sure-footedness, offered a wobbly reply, displaying little grasp of the facts and claiming that if he were in charge, Vladimir V. Putin, the Russian president, would know better than to mess with him.

According to an audio recording of the event, he said Mr. Putin had taken the measure of Mr. Obama. “I don’t believe, given who I am, that he would make the same judgment,” Mr. Christie said. “Let’s leave it at that.”

We can just imagine Putin’s response: “Oooh! The guy who yells at schoolteachers is in charge now! Oh dear me! He canceled a train tunnel once! I’d best stop before he does something scary to me! OOooooh!” Please Christie: Don’t hurt ’em.