Chris Christie won't run for president in 2012

I also think that it was not his time. He has to clarify some of his positions on immigration, global warming and his Bernie Madoff connection, before he can be a serious contender for the Republican nomination. I do believe he has done a great job for the state of New Jersey and has potential on the National scene.

Excerpt: TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced Tuesday that he would not join the 2012 presidential race, saying he’d returned to his original feeling about staying out despite reconsidering in recent days.

“In the end, what I’ve always felt was the right decision remains the right decision today. Now is not my time. I have a commitment to the people of New Jersey that I simply will not abandon,” Christie said, speaking to reporters in Trenton. “People sent me to Trenton to get a job done, and I’m just not prepared to walk away.”

He pledged to stay focused on his job as governor: “New Jersey, whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with me.”

The first-term Republican governor repeated that he believed that President Barack Obama has “failed the leadership test.”

In a press conference, Christie said he’d felt obligated to reconsider after being approached by so many people in recent weeks, but insisted his decision is final, explaining, “I think they understand that this was a long shot for them to change my mind in the first place.”

Christie left the door open to a possible endorsement of another candidate but made no commitments. He also brushed off talk of running for vice president, saying, “I don’t think there’s anybody in America who’d say my personality is best suited to being a No. 2.”

Read full POLITICO article here.