Christie Announces He Will Not Run for President in 2012, Says 'Now Is Not My Time'

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Fox News:

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, declaring "now is not my time," definitively announced Tuesday that he will not run for president in 2012.

The governor, after denying for months any interest in running, used a press conference in Trenton to attempt to extinguish the speculation for good. He said the answer "was never anything but no." He acknowledged that he and his family had been compelled to "rethink" that stance in recent weeks given the intense pressure on the tough-talking governor to throw his name in the ring.

In the end, he said, "We came out in the same spot."

Christie said "unfinished business" in New Jersey was the overriding factor in his decision, and dismissed any suggestion that his family did not want him to enter.

"People sent me to Trenton to get a job done, and I'm just not prepared to walk away," he said. "My loyalty to this state is what it is."

He added: "New Jersey, whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me."

In recent weeks, Christie had been meeting with family members and advisers as many high-profile Republicans urged him to seek the nomination. Stirring the pot even more, Christie had been silent in the face of reporters' questions in the last few days.

Christie said he made his "final decision" Monday night, while leaving the door open for a bid sometime down the road.

"I'm not going to preclude any chances," Christie said.

The news conference comes after a string of denials from Christie about having any interest in running. At one point, he joked that he'd have to "commit suicide" to convince the political class he's not a presidential candidate. But speculation heated up after Texas Gov. Rick Perry started falling in the polls following a blockbuster entrance in August.

A source close to the governor said Christie was listening to the appeals, but speculated that the recent announcements by states that they're moving up primaries, as well as "unfinished business" in New Jersey, helped dissuade him. The early primaries would give Christie even less time to mount a Republican primary bid.

"He was thinking he wasn't going to run for the longest time. His interest did get piqued due to Perry, due to the encouragement, but I think the reality of putting together the campaign ... proved to be at the end of the day a little too big of a hill to climb," the source said.
________

And that, as they say, is that!

[pollyannaish]

I think he did himself a favor by taking this seriously...and then saying no again.

 

I think if he had said yes, it would have diminished his credibility. But if he hadn't looked at it seriously, it would seem he wasn't a serious man.

 

We will see him on the national stage.

[nickydog]

I am relieved he is not running. Listening to Rush, I began to understand righteousmomma's reservations about Christie. I would have been happy to support him if he had become the nominee, but I'm glad he will not be.

[Pepper]

Ann Coulter on suicide watch.