The crowd gathered at the Conservative Political Action Conference rose to its feet as Chris Christie exited stage left.

The New Jersey governor, who has been dogged by a scandal stemming from�revelations that members of his administration conspired to shut down traffic lanes leading on to the George Washington Bridge, came to�CPAC�on Thursday in need of a reception like that, and the party faithful delivered.

Christie�s remarks were highly anticipated, not only because of the lingering scandal but also because�CPAC brass dinged him last year by leaving him off of the guest list. Today, the governor�was greeted with murmurs and some quiet cheers; he drew more excitement from the audience as he proceeded.

Currently the chairman of the National Governors Association, Christie used his remarks to praise the work of his colleagues across�the country.

�Republican governors in this country have stood up and done things, not just talked about them,� he said.�Praise for Republican governors like Wisconsin�s Scott Walker, Ohio�s John�Kasich, and Michigan�s Rick Snyder drew�cheers from the crowd.

Christie returned to a familiar theme,�contrasting�the labor of the GOP�s governors with the fecklessness of politicians in Washington.��The most dangerous ten�feet in Washington, D.C., is between anybody who wants to talk about something and a camera,� he said.

As Republicans across the country campaign against Obamacare in advance of November�s midterm elections, the governor urged them to hit some positive notes, too. The GOP, he said, is for entrepreneurship and innovation and against the �cold, hard hand of government.� The party supports a strong national defense rather than �one that allows other countries to run us over all over the world.�

Speaking to an audience that stands to his right, Christie concluded on a cautionary note, tacitly suggesting that the GOP has hurt itself by nominating candidates that are too conservative.

�We don�t get to�govern if we don�t win,� he said. �Let�s come out of this conference resolved to win elections again.�

(Source:�nationalreview.com)