New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) “took to Dave Letterman’s couch, donut in hand, on Monday night, joining one of his chief late night tormenters for some jokes at his own expense,” Politico reports.

“The calculation was clear – try to turn the potential negative into a positive, a strategy used by many a politician, including Al Gore during his 2000 presidential campaign.”

“But Gore’s problematic trait was stiffness, not size. And by Wednesday, Christie had undercut his own strategy, saying a former White House doctor who expressed fears that his weight could be life-ending if he were president ‘should shut up‘ since she hasn’t examined him and doesn’t know his medical history.”

Dick Morris told Piers Morgan that he “absolutely believed” Mitt Romney would beat President Obama in last year’s presidential election.

Said Morris: “I absolutely believed it and so did a lot of people.”

Morris also made another prediction: “The Republican Party has to change in fundamental ways, otherwise it will never win another election.”

New York Times: Dick Morris and Fox News part ways.

Why are people giving money to Karl Rove when he just wasted $400M without any victories? Use your head.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 7, 2013

Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) intends to run for the U.S. Senate seat that fellow Democrat Tom Harkin will leave open in 2014, his advisers told The Des Moines Register.

Braley also sent out the news in an email to supporters this morning saying he’s “ready to go.”

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) took on a former White House doctor who said he was at risk of dying in office because of his weight, calling her a “hack” and telling her to “shut up” unless she examines him, ABC News reports.

Said Christie: “If she wants to get on a plane and come here to New Jersey and asks me if she wants to examine me and review my medical history, I’ll have a conversation with her about that. Until that time she should shut up.”

First Read: “This is about Christie trying to confront, on his terms, what would be one of his biggest obstacles if he launches a presidential bid in 2016. He knows this is a hurdle; he knows it’s not an insignificant one. The biggest thing is he has changed his tone on this, becoming much more open about it, even hinting that he’s on a program and that people would notice if it’s working relatively soon. As late as last year, Christie’s standard response was essentially: my weight is my business, period. Not anymore. If you needed a hint that Christie is trying to get it together to run for president, this is it.”

“I’ve always viewed politics the following way: if you do a good job at the job you’re doing, you’ll have opportunities to do other things in the future. Maybe things you never envisioned.”

— Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), quoted in a cover story in Time magazine.

The Miami Herald reports that Jeb Bush was rebuffed in an offer to buy the Miami Marlins baseball team during the offseason.

First Read: “Just asking… but doesn’t the fact… send a signal he’s not
all that interested in running for president? Trying to buy a baseball
team doesn’t exactly say your focus is prepping for a presidential run.”