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Gov. Chris Christie file photo.

(Andrew Mills/NJ Advance Media)

TRENTON — Three top tier Republican presidential hopefuls "can pack it in right now and save months of time and tons of money" ahead of 2016, a conservative magazine declared. And Gov. Chris Christie is one of them.

The Weekly Standard is putting little stock in a Christie presidential campaign and grouped New Jersey's governor in a small list of likely GOP contenders who "demonstrated why they'll never be president" over the course of a few days in late January and early February.

Christie's "thin skin" is the governor's biggest obstacle and will only damage him further down the line when the campaign really heats up, writes The Weekly Standard's Andrew Ferguson.

According to the publication, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (because he'll be tripped up by his own book tour, Ferguson said) and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (too combative, he argues) join Christie on the short list.

Christie's Achilles heel was apparent during his recent three-day trade mission to London. Here's what The Weekly Standard had to say:

"A thin skin has been a feature of Chris Christie's public life, as well, and over the last several weeks it has been much in evidence. On a "trade trip" to London he made vaccination comments as artless as Paul's, and provoked a similar controversy. His press aide announced that the three remaining press conferences scheduled for his trip would be canceled, because the governor would be taking "no questions." The next day, as he came within shouting distance of reporters, one of them called a question. Christie turned and said (snarled? growled?): "Is there something you don't understand about 'no questions'?"

"History records no case in which a Republican hurt his reputation among fellow Republicans by yelling at a reporter; it is always assumed that the reporter deserved it just on general principle. But that's not all that was revealed about Christie in the last few weeks. In London he didn't appear a hardworking public servant losing patience with bleating reporters; he had the air of a plutocrat irked that the little people weren't doing what they were told."

Chris Christie's trip to England 15 Gallery: Chris Christie's trip to England

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Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.