Is NJ's governor Corzine running for president?

Today, he's given an executive order to shut down the state government for failing to balance the budget. It's a tough, perhaps historic action. Bill Clinton did it and look where it got him.

I've long thought that Corzine, who could have enjoyed a long and powerful career as a US senator, ran for governor because governors have far better odds of winning presidential races. This latest action may be a brilliant, hardball way to get a balanced budget, but it is also a brilliant way to get national attention as a true fiscally responsive, even conservative leader, even though he's advocating a tax rise.

Either way it's an audaciaous maneuver. It will surely make for some angry people. Casino managers are already appealling in court, because his edict could cause the shutting down of the casinos. It will also shut down tourist beaches at a time when tourism is at its peak.

My guess is he's going to win this one. Personally, I don't like the idea of a sales tax, unless there's some way to give it back to people earning less than poverty, or maybe even less than the income that makes kids eligible for college funding.

But this bold act deserves some credit. It could get him national attention as a man willing to take risks and ruffle feathers on both sides in order to act responsibly. I'm glad he's a Democrat and hope he'll inspire more bold, tough leadership.