The Presidency Is a Job.

I'm no fan of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie -- he seems to have become a conservative star for no other reason than he's kind of a bully, and as of yet he has not actually done much of note other than yell at teachers. But this, from an interview on Fox News Sunday, was certainly unusual:

WALLACE: You don't think you could help more in the White House than in the state house?

CHRISTIE: No, I don't think I can help New Jersey more in the White House than I can help it in the state house. And secondly, you have got to believe in your heart that you're personally ready to be president, and I'm not there.

WALLACE: Why not? I mean, seriously. You say you answer the questions. In what way are you not ready to be president?

CHRISTIE: Listen, I think every year you have as a governor in an executive position in a big state like New Jersey would make you better prepared to be president. And after one year as governor, I am not arrogant enough to believe that after one year as governor of New Jersey and seven years as the United States attorney that I'm ready to be president of the United States, so I'm not going to run.

You seldom hear a politician say he isn't qualified for any office. And when it comes to the presidency, they're likely to talk about it not as a job requiring a certain degree of experience or expertise, but rather as something you'll do well in if you have the proper moral core, connection to the common American, and "vision." So it's refreshing to see a probable future aspirant talk about the presidency as a job that requires actual skills, beyond lovin' America and being in favor of freedom.

Of course, it's not as though Christie wasn't expecting this question and didn't plan what his response would be. Given that he's already decided he isn't running, he may just be smartly setting himself up for a 2016 run, at which point he'll say he's accomplished great things and come to a complex understanding of what being a chief executive requires. Nevertheless, we should give credit to even a calculated display of modesty.

-- Paul Waldman