If he decides to throw his hat in the ring, however, they will have to come to terms with the fact that Christie is unlikely to appeal to the party's ultra-conservative, tri-corner hat-wearing, Bible-thumping base.

Here's why:

He believes in climate change.

He likes Muslims.

He thinks illegal immigrants should get amnesty. If the GOP thought Rick Perry has an illegal immigration problem, just wait until they hear from Christie. He has said that he believes their should be an "orderly path to citizenship," which, to the Tea Party, is pretty much the same thing as an open invitation to cross the border.

He supports gun control. That's right — Chris Christie wants to encroach upon the sacred Second. In an interview with Sean Hannity in 2009, Christie said he supports "common-sense" gun control laws to deal with New Jersey's "hand gun problem." Compare that to Rick "Use Both Hands" Perry and Christie's got no shot south of the Mason-Dixon.

He called Obama an "ally on education." In a year where more than one of the Republican presidential candidates has called for abolishing the Department of Education entirely, Christie may as well be running as a Democrat.