The question of the day, at least in the political/media world, is whether Chris Christie is another Rudy Giuliani, i.e. another brash northeasterner who will flame out in the Republican presidential primaries. Maggie Haberman, over at Politco, lays out the similarities and differences between the New Jersey governor and, er, America's Mayor. Meanwhile Ross Douthat, in his Sunday New York Times column, urges Christie to avoid Giuliani's mistakes. If there's one thing to take away from these comparisons, it's this: despite his moderate reputation, Giuliani would have made an absolutely disastrous president. Christie, who is considered the relative moderate of the 2016 field, would too.

To greatly simplify the most complex job in the world, it can be helpful to divide the president's responsibilities into three different categories. The first is fiscal policy, and issues regarding the safety net. The second is social policy. And the third is foreign policy. Both Christie and Giuliani have strong reputations as fiscal conservatives: Giuliani put particular stress on this aspect of his record in 2008, and ran on a very conservative tax plan. Christie is sure to make cutting taxes and government (and taking on organized labor) the central focus of any national campaign.

In terms of social policy, Giuliani was a liberal, pro-choice Republican. Christie opposes gay marriage and abortion rights, but he seems uninterested in focusing on social issues, and he has both signed a ban on so-called "gay-conversion therapy," and ended a challenge to a court decision allowing gay marriages in New Jersey. He is sure to be seen as the least socially conservative of the plausible GOP nominees.

This leaves foreign policy. Giuliani ran on a platform of, essentially, aggressiveness. Christie, at least if his back-and-forths with Rand Paul are anything to go by, has similar plans. He will almost certainly call for increased defense spending, and a more aggressive posture in the world. It's difficult to guess how presidents will act abroad if all you have to go by are campaign statements. (George W. Bush is the shining example of this). But temperament is clearly important. Here's Haberman on that:

In 2009, he told his campaign rival to “man up and say I’m fat.” Since then, he’s become a YouTube video waiting to be made, dressing down constituents at town halls one day and exploding at critics the next, in the blunt-spoken style that’s made him one of his party’s best-known figures. It’s all reminiscent of Giuliani, who years earlier regularly sparred with reporters or callers on his weekly radio show. Audio of those shows played during his presidential run painted a less-than-leaderly picture of the man who early in his mayoralty famously said his city could “kick your city’s ass” and went on to gain hero status after Sep. 11, 2001.

And here's Douthat, addressing Christie: