So, Maybe It Will Turn Out That Jimmy Hoffa Is Actually Somewhere On The Beltway....

Remains to be seen if this bridge delay scandal will have any major effect on the ambitions of Chris Christie and/or the presidential politics of 2016.

It's not always a given that damage will fatally wound a candidate.

In contemporary times, Richard Nixon survived his "last press conference" in 1962 and went on to become President in 1968.

Ronald Reagan survived Iran-Contra and went to become revered, at least on the right side of the revered bleachers.

Bill Clinton survived Monica Lewinsky, avoided impeachment and has gone on to become, arguably, a respected statesman.
 
It's way too soon to speculate, let alone "know", how Christie will come out of this.

But speculate and "know" is what the pundits will do for a long, long time to come.

What's already getting overlooked, though, is how much things have changed.

Standard operating procedure for political dirty tricks has included, for generations, such classic moves as bugging, wiretapping, breaking and entering, not to mention heavy handed tactics by the FBI, CIA, IRS and a host of other government agencies created for the people, by the people and always seemingly too ready to blackmail the people.

And what dark, sinister, clandestine political payback did the high ranking members of Christie's staff pull?

"....Hey, man....you mess wid us....and we'll cause a traffic jam like youse ain't nevah seen..."

I guess this is all supposed to be serious.

Hard to take it that way, what with being unable to shake the image of Tony Soprano ordering the boys to meet at midnight to move the orange cones around.