The first indication that the Times is gearing up to make a Mitt Romney out of Chris Christie came in early December as “bridge-gate,” the allegation that New Jersey’s governor sought to punish the mayor of Fort Lee by closing two lanes of the George Washington Bridge for a traffic study for days in September after the mayor refused to endorse Christie’s reelection, burst off the pages of left-leaning blogs and into mainstream media outlets.

On the 13th, the Times covered “bridge-gate,” but an investigation into the supposed facts behind that case took a backseat to the Time’s preferred narrative; Christie, the “bully.” To cement that narrative, the Times quoted a variety of Democratic New Jersey lawmakers on the record who described how their confrontations with Christie made them feel bullied. Some even remarked how Christie had created an “atmosphere” which invited other state officials to treat New Jersey Democrats with contempt. Days later, a Times reporter told CBS News’ This Morning that, as the “front-runner for the nomination in 2016,” the governor’s bully reputation could seriously damage his national political prospects.

Indeed, the politics of that story – and its potential to derail the Christie 2016 juggernaut – and not good governance appears to be the Times’ paramount concern. Tiny exculpatory details like the fact that Fort Lee’s mayor requested in 2010 that the governor’s office investigate ways in which they could relieve gridlock on the bridge, have been overlooked.