New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is one of my favorite Republicans.

His press conference today, though, leaves a key question unanswered. It is simply, how did he not know the details until now of a story that has been boiling for weeks around the state he governs with an admittedly firm hand?

http://politicslive.cnn.com/Event/Christie_news_conference_2?hpt=hp_t1

At issue is what the governor knew about a lane-closure on the George Washington Bridge, the busiest span in the world.

He fired the aide today who reportedly was responsible for closing the lanes. We still do not know why the bridge was effectively shut down. Allegations have been swirling that the governor’s office did it to get back at the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., who had declined to endorse Christie’s bid for re-election. Christie said today he didn’t know the mayor and said he “couldn’t pick him out of a lineup” if he stood before him.

The worst case is that Christie’s office has exercised a terrible abuse of power, using the authority of his office to get back at a political opponent. The best case might be that a governor who proclaims himself to be a hands-on, no-nonsense chief executive has been duped by staffers who did bad things without his knowing it.

This story is going to keep bubbling.