After all the nonsense New Jersey has given us over the years — Snooki and The Situation, toxic waste, long vowels, Bon Jovi (which I'm all too personally familiar with since I grew up there) — there's finally a redeeming gift from the Garden State — Gov. Chris Christie.

Yeah, yeah, I know all about the other GOP darlings and Rick Perry's skyrocketing polls. And Christie himself repeatedly denies he's preparing to make a bid for the White House. But I have a feeling that won't be his stance forever — and it shouldn't be.

Here's a guy who has risen to national prominence largely due to his frankness and directness, with talk that's tougher than half of his state's mobsters (On beachgoers apparently unfazed by Hurricane Irene: "Get the hell off the beach. You've maximized your tan;" on why he sends his kids to private school: "It's none of your business. I don't ask you where you send your kids to school, don't bother me about where I send mine.")