Is It Really Too Late for Christie?

The conventional wisdom, expressed again Politico and others, is that it may be too late for Chris Christie — or anyone else — to jump into the presidential race.

“With the initial primary and caucus states poised to move up their contests to January, an October announcement means that Christie would immediately confront two questions of some urgency: where would he compete and how would he get on the ballot in an array of states coming in rapid succession.”

But Walter Shapiro doesn’t buy it: “Jump-starting a campaign was certainly not a panacea for Tim Pawlenty, who might actually be an intriguing figure in the GOP race if he had entered it about now… In a 21st century media age — when images can be forged in minutes — it may matter less when you get in the presidential race than what you do when you get there.”