It has been called both a "resounding success" by Steve Goldstein, head of the gay-rights group Garden State Equality, and a "bureaucratic nightmare" by James O'Neill, the interim school superintendent of the township of Roxbury.

WSJ: The Panic Over Bullies

Mr. Christie, a Republican and former federal prosecutor, faces re-election in the Garden State in 2013 and is on every political observer's list of possible candidates for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination.

WSJ: Three Prominent Politicians

The next general election in the Garden State is in November, when Christie is up for re-election.

CNN: Lautenberg leaves tricky political question for Christie

J. (Oct. 31) -- As New Jersey's governor's race goes down to the wire, incumbent Gov. Christie Whitman is running hard, looking for votes on a hectic 97-stop, 10-day bus tour of the Garden State.

CNN: Whitman's Lead Shrinks In N.J. Governor's Race

His reorganization of the state budget sought to eliminate the root of the shortfalls, not simply eliminate various state-funded programs that would have amounted to bringing a garden hose to a wild fire.

FORBES: This Is Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's John Hancock Moment

Indeed, just hours after his would-be assassin had been wrestled to the ground, the French head of state was hosting a garden party for the public, on a packed Elysee Palace lawn, grabbing the microphone like a seasoned compere.

BBC: French President Jacques Chirac