chris christie obviously is not." withdrew gene robinson's column says christie's weight is a legitimate issue. "obesity is a national epidemic whose costs are measured not just in dollars and cents but also in lives. christie's weight is as legitimate an issue as the smoking habit that president obama says he has finally kicked." michael kinsley in his first column for "bloomberg view" was even more blunt in his opening line. look, i'm sorry, but new jersey governor chris christie cannot be president. he is just too fat." michael kinsley ever the learned and thoughtful liberal admitted that's not a very liberal attitude. it's discriminatory, it's patronizing, it's coercive. kinsley is less concerned with christie's health than gene robinson is. for kinsley it's more about symbolism. "the president inevitably sets an example, unfortunately the symbolism of christie's weight problem goes way past the issue of obesity, itself. it's just a too perfect symbol of our country at the moment. with appetites out of control and

news about chris christie, his 1:00 p.m. announcement.t launch since its ceo/corporate rock star, steve jobs, stepped down. all eyes on its new leader, tim cooke and of course what's new in apple's crown jewel, the iphone. >>> good morning, everybody. following breaking news here on msnbc, reporting governor chris christie will not run for president in 2012. that announcement is expected at 1:00 p.m. this afternoon. a staff writer for "the star ledger" joining us via skype from new jersey's capitol in trenton. this is big news, sources telling nbc he was seriously thinking about this over the last few days. in your estimation from covering him as a governor, why do you think he decided not to throw his hat into the ring? >> well, it was a tough decis n decision. there's a lot of down side to start a presidential race this late in the game. it's hard to put together an organization so quickly. there were doubts among some conservatives that he was too liberal to compete in the presidential primary. and, also, there are other things he want

if chris christie is anything, he is anti--obama. chris: and angry. >> on this question of the economy, what are people doing? the simple answer is people aren't investing, they are risk averse and don't want to tie money up. they are sticking with cash. and as long as that continues, you have a lack of what the great economist described as animal spirits. what powers you out of these longdown turns is that confidence, i'm going to make money. chris: how does the president adjust to the bad times without joining in and making it worse? how does he say yeah, i know it's tough, but -- >> you have to be the happy warrior. i don't think americans want that much bad news because they are feeling it and at the kitchen table. he has to split the difference on the one hand acknowledging there is pain out there. maxine waters wanted, listen, there is all of this unemployment in the black community and she wanted him to really recognize that and he is starting to do that. but you have to strike a balance there and not blame himself too much. ca

are democrats worried about chris christie and should they be worried about chris christie attracting, the very independents that barack obama used to be very attractive to. >> this is very simple for any republican watching. stop wasting your time for somebody who is not in the race. the problem with this conversation from day one it has been -- first it was will newt run. he gets in. then it said, will pawlenty run. he gets in. will palin run? will trump run in will christie run? i swear, literally, if they could somehow go into a shop and create a ronald reagan, they would try to create a ronald reagan robot. it's a riddiiculous conversatio. you don't have a discussion until somebody is in the race. perry on paper looked great, wonderful. when you go into a debate it's a whole different deal. i remind people also, you can be all concerned right now. the reality is this, at this juncture in 2007, obama was down 31 points to hillary clinton. things change over a period of years. bill clinton in iowa, he was dead on arrival in new hampshire. what happened? he rebounds. republicans nee

this is a tough question for chris christie obviously. pleas that came to him he reagan library gave him reason to pause and consider this. all indications are that governor christie is going to say an hour from now that he is not running for president. we're standing inside the statehouse in a long line of reporters trying to get into this conference room where the governor will be making the statement in about an hour from now. you can certainly say that chris christie circus has arrived in trenton. you say perhaps it will end the speculation. i'm not so sure it will end all of the speculation. keep in mind, you have months and months, almost a year now before the republican national convention in florida. if the republican party is not happy with folks like mitt romney and rick perry, you'll see perhaps republicans going back to chris christie and asking him to reconsider. i don't think that's out of the question. i think it's safe to say we'll hear another round of marko rubio speculation after this announcement today. i talked to my p

first of all, governor chris christie would be a great candidate. he would be the best speaker in the race and he has a great record as a decisive leader. that said, a national campaign is an immense challenge. you have to assemble the infrastructure of a campaign, the national staff. the lawyers and accountants and i.t. you have to have an organization on the ground and early primary states. i have told prospective candidates to plan three months to get your infrastructure up and running. people will be voting in three months. i will be surprised if he does it. he does have smart people advising him who have run campaigns. >> when you look at it, unlike previous candidates who have gotten talked into late races, the people that he's turning to for political advice are ones that have not the greatest experience. >> i disagree on that. the people you're talking about also worked in the successful bush campaigns. they also assisted john mccain in unsuccessful campaigns. they have broad experience. i think some of the wealthy people in new york and som

something that clearly they're not capable of when it comes to chris christie case in point today when christie announced that he would hold a news conference the mainstream media shifted into hyper mode they quickly began coverage of speculation rumors about his political future and it reached a fever pitch when he walked in front of cameras this afternoon and trenton new jersey. as we await a major announcement from new jersey governor chris christie republicans on happy with the current lineup of candidates had urged christie to jump in the speculation is swirling after christie scheduled a surprise news conference i've been told that the new jersey governor did seriously reconsider getting in over the last two rules the guessing game has gone on for months will he or won't he he's been dodging questions for days on whether he'll launch a run for the white house we're awaiting a news conference a statement from the new jersey governor chris christie face to see it ending the guessing game about a potential white house run in just moments new jersey governor chris christie will hold

mitt romney is very happy today if chris christie does not get in the race because ultimately he looksly endorsement of romney and in time if christie were to run he would cut into a follow northeasterner, a follow moderate like rick perry. jon onand if he decides not to go this time around, in another four years or eight years, he can run for the office if he chooses to. chris stierwalt, thank you. >> you bet. jon: new jersey governor chris christie will hold that news conference, 150 -- 1:00 p.m. eastern time. keep it here on fox news channel. you'll hear it here live. jenna: mortgage giant fannie mae was warned about foreclosure abuses, that so called robo signing back in 2003, but again, according to this report, did nothing to stop it. where does that leave us now that's a big question for you to answer today! >> it's a huge question. for those who don't remember, robo signing means the banks were so overwhelmed with bad loans when the economy began to go sour in 2007 that they began to lie, they began to say they had looked at each individual bad loan that was in the process of f

chris christie, good-bye. chris christie, don't cry.atched some of the speech today of the new jersey governor kiss good-bye to the presidential race. kind of a letdown overall. he said he couldn't come up with a reason not to complete his term as governor which made, i figure, a couple of not so great points. one, he's no sarah palin heading off from a job he had been duly elected to, a job in his words, asked to have. two, he's not rick perry who's quite willing to spend a year running for president while still keeping the governor's job down in texas. three, he's no mitt romney because he's not clearly intent on, unlike romney, running for and winning a second term as governor of jersey. christie's decision not to run for president leaves a dreary field back there, a field so dreary, so needy that it sat there in the political time-out corner while he made up his mind. so left behind it's only now in the wake of christie's departure we all see rick perry is now tied with herman cain in the national polls of whom republicans say they

as we await a major announcement from new jersey governor chris christie republicans unhappy with the current lineup of candidates had urged christie to jump in the speculation is swirling after christie scheduled a surprise news conference i've been told that the new jersey governor did seriously reconsider getting in over the last two weeks the guessing game has gone on for months will he or won't he he's been dodging questions for days on whether he'll launch a run for the white house we're awaiting a news conference the statement from the new jersey governor chris christie face christie is ending the guessing game about a potential white house run in just moments new jersey governor chris christie will hold a news conference on a possible run for the white house in two thousand and twelve for me the answer was never anything but no. so once again chris christie held the news cycle hostage this time to announce that nothing of change fox m s n b c c.n.n. they all took the news or live they stayed with it we counted for forty minutes he said he wasn't running in the first three minu

chris christie will announce at 1:00 p.m.stern time today whether he's going to make a run for president. but, believe it or not, not a majority of americans, even know who he is. and we're tracking amanda knox on her flight back to the u.s. she is now a free woman after her murder conviction is overturned in italy. is her legal nightmare over? and on a different note, apple ready to reveal the iphone 5. breaking down all the latest upgrades and how you can get your hands on the hot new gadget. that and more coming up in the next half hour. >>> there are apparently money troubles for presidential candidate michele bachmann who is losing a couple of top campaign aides and some others are being re-assigned back to her congressional staff. now officially we'll get a picture of everyone's campaign cash with new numbers for the third quarter which are due out by the 15th. one big advantage for the republicans, though, tea party money. msnbc's richard lui joins us. it is time to break out the campaign cash wall, mr. lui. >> that's

he described chris christie as an american hero and chris christie said that he believes he is the man to lead the country forward. i am joined by chuck todd again and msnbc david corn. let me start with you. what is your immediate take away from that. in describing chris christie as a hero, he wasn't aware of the fact that unemployment in new jersey is 9.4%. >> i was just checking that on my smart phone. three points above the national average. chris christie's own numbers have not been very popular with the public sector. he has been a controversial and conflict-causing governor. because he goes after the unions, he has a big fan base amongst republican funders and the brothers and others. that will be good in terms of mitt romney gathering up more books. what i'm thinking is that rick perry is looking at this going oy. this debate tonight was going to be his chance to try to get back in the ring and back on top of the horse that he jumped off of in the previous debates. now there is an aura of inevitability, the campaign strategy that got tougher with chris christie's endorsement pr

for chris christie. because he would be -- he would be exciting because of his unpredictability -- >> are you saying this is entertainment? >> oh, sure. that's the way many elements of the media view presidential contests, primaries, as entertainment. the rick perry thing is part of the entertainment spectrum. although he will be home in texas with a lot of times on his hands by christmas, i think. >> yeah, i think so. joe, what do you think? >> he can see mexico, by the way from his house. >> he never said that -- >> are you saying he's the sarah palin. >> no, sarah palin's much smarter than rick perry. what were you asking about chris christie? >> i think all campaigns are about contrast. and the fact is, chris christie, if you just want to look at the politics of it matches up wonderfully against every republican because he's articulate, he's a fighter, he can tell people exactly what he believes. he can explain his philosophy. there aren't a lot of republicans that could do that. unlike mitt romney,

chris christie is the type of republican that holds views in order to win in states that are as blue as new jersey. and that was always among the questions, for instance, when christie and those supporting christie were being challenged about the idea can he win in this republican electorate, in this republican primary. the poll we have out today in iowa and new hampshire shows half of iowa republicans call themselves tea party supporters. more importantly, over 80% of the iowa republican electorate identify either as conservative, tea party supporter, or evangelical christian. and these were not the groups whose first choice are mitt romney. so the question is this is certainly a big way of moving financially, moving resources into the romney camp. we know there's a lot of money on the sidelines. having christie out there early, having him out there in new york city where there hasn't been a lot of success for romney or any republican in raising money, because they were sitting there waiting for the hope from new jersey to get in, and he didn't. >> and it brings some passion to the r

>> chris christie -- i don't think chris christie needs to do transactions, and i do believe that chrismitt romney because he looked at the rest of the field and said, listen, we've got to get somebody that can win this race. i actually saw ann coulter on the "wall street journal" website. and she said you know these northeast governors. rick perry said that's just two northeasterners supporting each other. ann coulter said if you are a republican of the northeast, you unlike rick perry or michele bauchmann, you have had to appeal, chuck todd, to independents and democrats. so, yes, ann coulter saying it's a good thing as a conservative's conservative, it's a good thing these people actually know how to win in swing districts. >> i'll be curious to see what happens over the next six weeks. i do think you're seeing. you talk to elected republicans in this town, even elected republicans outside of washington. and all of them are trying to find their way to romney in some form of another. i wouldn't be surprised if you see this sort of coalescing of the establishment these days. but i thin

what about chris christie? should chris christie run? 42% saying yes and 34% saying no and about one in four unsure. but the poll also asks the same question about sarah palin. a resounding no. two out of three republicans asked whether pashin should run said the former alaska governor should not run for the gop nomination. >> what hank williams jr. said about the president. tell us this story. >> well, if you noticed last night on monday night football for the first time in a long time you did not hear his song, "are you ready for some football." ha williams jr. was on fox news channel yesterday and he was talking about that golf summit. if you remember that earlier this summer between president, vice president biden and house speaker boehner and williams said he thought it was a big mistake to do this. to have this summit. take a listen to what else he said. >> come on, come on. that would be like hitler playing golf with netanyahu. okay. >> well, there you go. little fighting words there and very controversial words from hank williams

ok so there's been a lot of rumors lately about chris christie will he run will he run and i think it's mostly media created but you know there's a lot of people like him but chris christie has one gigantic problem and it's something that has been with him since even before or since before he became governor when he was still running take a look at this poll that. if you drove the wrong way down to one way street causing an accident and putting the kid in the program would you get away without a ticket chris christie did if you were caught speeding in an unregistered car would you get away without points chris christie did in both cases christie threw his weight around as u.s. attorney and got off easy if you didn't pay your taxes christie the earlies wait around ok so chris christie is back i mean if he just is he's a big guy but apparently this is like the talk of the tell and i think there have been three big bads written by henry blodgett eugene robinson michael kinsley just in the past like day or two everyone is discussing whether or not chris christie could really be president be

after weeks of speculation, chris christie will not enter the republican race for president. make it official at a press conference in trenton. we'll bring it to you live. >>> plus, what impact will his decision have on the republican field? does rick perry get a second chance to prove himself? is this mitt romney's chance to win over the holdouts? good day. i'm andrea mitchell live in new york. let's go right to the breaking news. chris christie is ending a guessing game about a potential white house run. the republican governor is set to address the media moments from now in trenton. nbc's ron allen is live at the statehouse in trenton, new jersey. ron, set the scene for us. >> reporter: well, it's been a long time since trenton, new jersey, has gotten this much attention. there are literally dozens and dozens of reporters lined up waiting to get in to hear what chris christie has to

presidential race and we're talking about chris christie's weight really think you last thing i do for it only here's the thing i think. it was created to serve public interests to inform and to entertain. these days there's nothing easier than opening a new media outlet but there is nothing then revoking its license in case of corruption. when just. saying. this is going to involve a community where you have one large corporation controlling the bill the newspaper radio stations stations the cable. you told me that that's what democracy public opinion versus f.c.c. broadcast blues. really you believe just science and technology from. the future covered. to tonight's fireside with your host cops. it's now been almost two weeks since occupy wall street begat a movement to take this country back to have the ninety nine percent join together to tell the one percent the runs the country but they won't take any more of the corruption of the great but they won't sit idly by while their country is co-opted and turned into a good talker see how this began with about two thousand people on sept

the door slightly open. >> christie left the door slightly open. >> for himself. >> chris christie has left the door open ever so slightly. >> just a sliver open. he left a little sliver open. >> christie's comments especially are a rorschach test, see what you want to see, hear what you want to hear. >> you hear what you want to hear. everyone else hears, i'm not running. a rorschach test? yeah, yeah, it's a rorschach test. it's a rorschach test. tell me what you see. what do you see? [cheering and applause] was that a butterfly humping a mongoose? [laughter] he said no. and if i remember from my freshman dorm orientation correctly, no means no! so back up, no, oh, come on, baby, can't we just form an exploratory committee. come on, let me touch your super pac. no chris christie has given you his answer. stop grinding up against him and asking if you can just put the tip in. [cheering and applause] son of a bitch. at least not all pundits were blinded by their desire to see what they want to see. >> i think that we can take governor christie at his word. i think he kind of put the nai

>> i think it hurt chris christie more than it helped romney.h a great feeling among republicans. other republicans are not feeling this. they don't like romney. they don't like christie endorsing romney. >> if you look at the polls and the leading states, you look at iowa, new hampshire, south carolina, florida, romney is either first or he's within two or three points -- >> but he's not winning in a way that's exciting. >> chris christie is only going to shore that up. >> he hasn't won over conservatives. >> he hasn't and that's the core of the election. he has to win those to win -- >> how can we say if he hasn't won over conservatives if he's leading. >> it's like 23%. >> now it's gone up to four or five. it's still early. there's been no votes. no primaries, no caucuses. >> people are still waiting for somebody else. they wish somebody else would get in. >> they see somebody else in these debates? >> not yesterday. >> it's mitt romney and republicans are not waiting. they see this field and it's going to be romney. >> romney was the winner

governor chris christie. >> he's a nice man in a clean suit that wants to be president. >> chris christie endorses mitt romney because he's a career politician. >> planned for a good long period of time about what he would do if he was given the honor of being president of the united states. >> spent our life entirely in politics. >> his experience as an elected official, experience as governor of massachusetts. he's used executive power. >> he's a real hero in republican circles. >> you're not chris christie, you never will be. >> it's not like chris christie had better options. >> classic case of lesser of two evils. >> nomination process. >> you have to start showing governor romney some respect. >> poll shows romney lea >> he's not just going to be the guy that they love. >> how do you think he feels watching you like everybody more than him? >> they're looking for the anti-romney. >> romney is so boring. >> what do you thing this does to rick perry? >> i think rick perry is dead wrong. >> the governor has 6%. >> he can talk about shooting coyotes in the face. >> rick perry an accompl

chris christie. he has not said if he is in or out but we want to hear from all of you this morning. we also have a fourth line for new jersey residents -- let me begin with the "the new york times" story -- urgency for christie. that puts chris christie's decision at an even more urgent pace. we want to hear from all of you. should he get in, should he get out, and why? troy, independent from new york. go ahead, troy. caller: good morning. my comment is i really just think the media is what has driven this to the point it is out. i would use an example from a past election. not really an election -- but right here in new york, when the position was open for the senate seat and kristin gillibrand ended up getting picked by the government and the media kept typing up kennedy. i am a little groggy this morning so i am trying to remember the names. i want to say caroline kennedy. host: right, yes. what do you think? what does it mean as to whether or not chris christie should run? caller: i just think i

and republicans continue to urge chris christie to run for the white house. tonight, what hear why marylandl >> herman kane continues to gain momentum in the 2012 run for the white house. the gop hopeful one this weekend's straw poll at the national women's convention. rick perry finished a distant second. the onetime family hunting camp for a name containing the "n" word. there is a long road ahead to next year's election. >> 90% of what matters for winning the nomination is still in front of us. >> meanwhile, supporters of new jersey governor chris christie are urging him into the race. there are reports that he will announce soon whether he will answer that call. maryland governor martin o'malley says that chris christie will add an entertainment component to the 2012 race if he does decide to run. >> at the end of the day, what this race will come down to its effectiveness. and i think that whenever entertainment value that governor chris christie would bring to their race, and there would be entertainment value, especially if you like don rickles, but wh

jeanne moos is next. >>> chris christie say he's not running for president. down the drama. >> reporter: we in the press tend to fall hardest for the guy hard to get. >> is he in or is christie out? >> and is he in or is he out? >> yes or no? >> the answer's no. >> reporter: say it ain't so. ♪ no, no, no no >> it's a no until it's a yes. ♪ no, no, no >> what i said i'd recan my no and i did but the no never changed. so new jersey, whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me. >> reporter: governor christie giggled his way -- >> ha, ha. >> reporter: -- through a couple of the questions. >> it's a shock to people in new jersey, right? >> reporter: his decision not run for president shocked nobody but it disappointed many. we are gathered here to mourn all of the unborn, undelivered weight jokes that will now not be told. late-night xhed yens will have to be content. >> traveling down the new jersey turnpike i saw him on the truck scales. he was -- >> reporter: with the routines they've already managed to squeeze in during the courtship of christie. >> yes,

going to win this next election. >> schieffer: let me just quote what rush limbaugh said about chris christie the other day. he said the republican establishment does not want a conservative to get the nomination if they can co-opt the conservative they will do it. goff that speech that governor christie made at the ronald reagan library last week he heard a lot of john mccain in that. what do you think he meant by that? >> i don't know what rush meant. he represents a voice of a significant part of our party. i think that governor christie would probably run on his record as governor. i i think that's a pretty solid base that conservatives could rally around. as you know, i'm not... could i also say that i think it's time for the president of the united states to emulate what bill clinton did after the '92 and '94 elections, sit down with republicans and let's try and work something out. people are sick and tired of what's going on here in washington both as far as congress and the president is concerned. he's not going to pass this jobs bill. dick durbin the number two guy in the senate jus

chris christie will toss his hat into the ring. here is the latest on the campaign trail. >> herman cain and the only black republican in the republican field 1 two strong polls over the weekend. first was in kansas city. about 500 attendees voted. texas gov. rick perry was in a distant second at 14. then there was a key party meeting at -- outside chicago. 77% of the votes went to herman cain. >> it took some patriots that were passionate to start of this nation. it will take the same to save the nation. >> there was conversation about governor rick perry not acting sooner to remove a racial slur from a rock at a popular hunting spot. >> it was painted over, but how long ago? >> then there is new jersey gov. chris christie, who has yet to decide. >> if he is happy to -- if he wants to come play, we will be happy to have him come. >> some accuse president obama for not defending a gay slur. >> [unintelligible] >> you want to be commander -- commander in chief you can start by standing up for the men and women that wear the uniform

>>> on our broadcast tonight, october surprise, chris christie endorses mitt romney, and we have the exclusive interview with both men tonight. >>> the plot, murder for hire. huge sums of money and links to the iranian government. the u.s. says it stopped a huge international conspiracy. but does the story all add up? >>> risky business. more surprising news about prostaoste ccer. this time it's another popular vitamin supplement that may be doing more harm than good. >>> and the interrogation of michael jackson's doctor. today jurors heard conrad murray's emotional description of what he told jackson's children on the day he died. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good evening. he remains one of the biggest names in republican politics. we just watched new jersey governor chris christie carry out a personal yet public deliberation over running for president himself. he said no. but today he made a rare and early endorsement for mitt romney for the gop nomination. some republicans, as you know, have shown buyers remorse at the thought of a r

and we're hoping for chris christie endorsement down the road. d his team of political a political advisers have entertained them and come through and kiss the christie ring. so we'll see if christie does chose to endorse earlier this summer. and right now between rick perry and mitt romney, so many things can change -- >> including -- i feel like this is an obl ga tore question that i have to ask. sarah palin? any word? >> the first filing deadline for any primary state is october 28th. governor palin has told me personally that she thinks she can wait that long to jump in the race. that's several weeks away. they probably have to get things in motion a couple weeks before that. it could be okay. i've talked to palin people. the line remains the same. the field is wide open. things can change. and obviously you don't want to mix things up again and that will help mitt romney in the and rick santorum and you can bet that christie bowing out. >> peter, hambee, thank you very much. >>> a 7-year-old boy locked in a coffin in a basement. and here to h

he can't capture the chris christie crowd because he doesn't have the chris christie energy.hasn't had it, he will not have it and this is wide open. i'm looking for sarah palin to get in. >> rick perry raised $17.1 million in the third quarter. 4 to 6 million ahead of romney. does money talk? >> money is important, but right now romney is the one that has the republican crowd comfortable. and comfort is very important. >> comfort? >> complacent. >> no, no, comfort with your candidate is very important. >> if they were comfortable with him, they would not have been crying for chris christie. >> thank you, chris. >> let's say who the "they" are. the "they" are people supporting perry and now losing confidence in perry. kr christie is good. >> if you're a betting person, bet on black. i watched herman cain, i've been reading his book. he's resonating with american people on the right the way romney never would or never could. >> i'm watching chris christie yesterday and i'm thinking again here's a guy who seems not to be on talking points. here's a guy who seems to be answering

we'd all love it if chris christie got in the race. >> chris christie is exciting. >> he's exciting. >> republicans are looking for a dose of charisma, a jolt of energy. chris christie has beth those in spades. >> stephen: spades, by the way, is not the name of christie's hunting camp. (laughter) and, folks, christie made a big announcement this afternoon. i haven't watched it yet because i don't want to know. (laughter) i'm going to pretend he announced he's the new iphone. (laughter) because, folks, i have loved this beautiful, delicate dance between christie and the media. the media starts it by speculating that he's running and then christie teases us by being coy like this. >> i am not going to run for president in 2012. i'm 100% certain i'm not going to run. i'm not going to be the republican candidate for president or vice president in 2012. what do i have to do short of suicide to convince people i'm not running? apparently i actually is to commit suicide. >> stephen: did you see how he left the door open there? (laughter) last time i checked, he's not dead! and so the christ