MAD MEN: Chris Christie Was A Ticking Time Bomb As A Politician - It Was Only A Matter of Time Before He Blew Up

The bridge scandal is just one of many instances where Christie couldn't control his temper. He lacks
discipline for higher office. (Photo by Gage Skidmore)

If there is a singular skill that separates presidential contenders from presidential "also-rans" it is discipline. The ability to stay on message, to keep emotions in check, to avoid distractions, to understand that the long-game must take precedence over the daily news cycle and to dodge the inevitable political headaches that emerge is essential to political success on a national stage.
Obama has it; W had it; Nixon (at least in public) was practically the king.

Here's who doesn't have it: Chris Christie, and it's the reason that his political career is on life support.

Even before the bombshell revelations that his top aides actively sought to punish the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, New Jersey by closing down on-ramps to the George Washington Bridge, it was fairly obvious that Christie was a man whose decisions were guided as much by impulse and emotion as political calculation.

There have been not one or two but repeated losses of his temper, even with his own constituents.

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