Gov. Christie slams Democrats — and GOP — over spending

From Neil King Jr. of The Wall Street Journal on Feb. 16:

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie came to Washington Wednesday to slam both parties for what he described as their “irresponsible” and “dangerous” game in not addressing the country’s shaky entitlement programs.

The Republican governor accused both the White House and Republicans in Congress of irresponsibility for failing to propose fixes for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, all of which face solvency problems in coming years.

“What game is being played here is irresponsible and it’s dangerous,” he told a packed house at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. “We are on the path to ruin.”

In office just over a year, Mr. Christie has gained unusual prominence within Republican ranks as a brash cost-cutter who hasn’t shied from fierce battles with the state’s teachers union and other groups.

A national unknown when he won election in 2009, the former prosecutor is now mentioned as a possible 2012 presidential contender, mainly by conservatives yearning for someone to shake up what they fear will be a lackluster field. Mr. Christie has insisted he has no intention to seek higher office next year.

“What do I have to do outside of threatening to commit suicide to convince people I’m not running?” he told the gathering. He said he was simply not ready to run for president and had plenty of work to do in New Jersey.

“And besides, my wife would kill me,” he said.

Mr. Christie drew laughter when he tossed off his own plan to fix Social Security, which he said was both obvious and shunned as the kiss of death by most politicians.

“We hare going to have to raise the retirement age,” he said. “Uh oh. I said it, and I’m still here. I am not vaporized into the carpet.”

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