Christie Responds to Female Hecklers With Oral Sex Joke

But some doubt he'd stay on message

(NEWSER) - Chris Christie may not have wanted to be president, but apparently he'd love to be vice president. New Jersey government insiders tell the National Review that Christie would happily accept the number 2 slot on the ticket if Mitt Romney offered it. "Christie is open to it, his family's comfortable with it, and he's been vetted before," one top state lawmaker says. "He isn't going to campaign for it, but it's no secret he would relish the opportunity to play at that level." More»

Marco Rubio, Chris Christie lead Intrade's bets

(NEWSER) - There's no way of knowing who will join Mitt Romney on the GOP ticket—but Intrade is willing to guess. The online futures site offers odds on various contenders, and the Daily Beast takes a look at the top five:

1. Marco Rubio, 24.9%. The Florida senator is a Cuban-American who's hugely popular among conservatives in the swing state. On the downside, he has only two years' experience and was at one time a Mormon, which may worry evangelicals.
2. Chris Christie, 10.9%. The New Jersey governor appeals to both centrists and the GOP base, an unusual feat. But he has said he's not prepared for the presidency, and he can be a loose cannon.

Ex-GOP chair aimed for a more exciting primary season

(NEWSER) - As the GOP nomination process drags on, odds against Republicans seem to be increasing: Voter turnout has dropped, and independents are fleeing Mitt Romney. Turns out, however, that the lengthy contest is just what the former GOP head sought in the first place. "I wanted a brokered convention," Michael Steele tells Mother Jones . It was "one of my goals" in rearranging the Republican nomination process: Steele hoped his party could emulate the excitement of the Democrats' 2008 primary battle. More»

But some call new candidacy a 'fairy-tale'

(NEWSER) - Republican insiders are increasingly worried that Mitt Romney will come up short with voters—so once again, they're looking toward Indiana and New Jersey for help. Mitch Daniels and Chris Christie are hearing renewed calls to enter the race, sources close to the governors tell Politico . For Daniels, "the whispers have become shouts, the knocks on (his) door have become fist pounding," says Indiana's GOP chairman. "He can’t go anywhere without someone stopping him [and] asking to reconsider." More»

Voters don't want Barack, but they really don't want these guys: Bret Stephens

(NEWSER) - President Obama is going to win the election in November, and the Republicans only have themselves to thank. "That's what happens when you run with losers," notes Bret Stephens in the Wall Street Journal . Forget Obama's wealth of policy troubles: "It doesn't matter that Americans are generally eager to send Mr. Obama packing." Voters simply want to be "reasonably sure" they won't get "another fiasco." But with this Republican lineup, "they can't be reasonably sure." More»