New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has been announced as the keynote speaker at the GOP convention in Tampa, Florida two weeks from now. According to USA Today, which broke the news Tuesday morning, Christie is already hard at work on his speech, and is well into his fourth draft. Experts predict the 20-minute speech will be all about Christie chewing bubble gum and kicking butt. He is projected to run out of bubble gum about two minutes in.
Or, if you prefer the way USA Today puts it: ???The choice of Christie as the keynoter, set to be announced today, puts the spotlight on a rising political star with a combative persona and sharp-edged sense of humor. His budget battles with the Democratic-controlled state Legislature and his blunt-spoken demeanor have made him a hero to conservatives and one of the party's biggest fundraisers.???
Christie said he would ???try to tell some very direct and hard truths to people in the country about the trouble that we???re in, and the fact that fixing those problems is not going to be easy for any of them.???
Christie was frequently mentioned as a possible running mate for Mitt Romney. Earlier in the campaign, many of his admirers hoped he would take a run at the White House himself. He has been a strong supporter of the Romney campaign. He???s relatively young at 49, and the keynote speaking role is often seen as a launching pad for presidential ambitions ??? it played that role for Barack Obama at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
Meanwhile, Fox News is reporting that Florida Senator Marco Rubio, also among those considered for the vice-presidential spot on the Republican ticket, will be introducing Mitt Romney on Thursday night at the convention.
