I have no keen insights into Governor Christie, but I suspect he is either a) honestly discerning whether this is his time/role, b) milking it for all it is worth — for himself and/or his state, or c) keeping his options open for four years from now. I suspect that there is not a grand strategy being played out here. The confusing leaks from around him seem to suggest there is no master plan. I am in the begging-a-man-who-said-he’d-rather-commit-suicide-than-run-for-president-is-pathetic camp myself, so I read the speech with no particular enthusiasm other than delight in the articulation of conservative ideas — particularly in not-particularly-conservative venues (Reagan library an exception, needless to say).