Chris Christie’s endorsement of Donald Trump should not come as a surprise to anyone given Christie’s long history of pandering, opportunism, hypocrisy, and backstabbing.

Does anyone remember Christie’s love fest with President Obama in the wake of Hurricane Sandy in October 2012? And how badly it hurt his own party’s candidate for president that year? Political analysts regarded the event as one of the turning points of the election. One month later, Obama carried New Jersey handily. It was one of the few states that voted against Obama in 2008 to turn blue in 2012.

Just six months ago, Christie gave his thoughts on Donald trump to Greta Van Susteren of Fox News. “I just don’t think he’s suited to be President of the United States,” Christie opined. “I don’t think that his temperament is suited for that and I don’t think his experience is.”

Later, Christie added that “I’m not going to answer every crazy thing that Donald says.”

Now Christie has endorsed Trump three months prior to the New Jersey primary on June 7–and he did it in Texas. The endorsement conveniently stole news coverage away from Trump’s poor performance in the pre-Super Tuesday Republican debate. No one can argue that Trump is a media-meister, if nothing else.

The timing is more than curious. Does anyone doubt that Trump was holding the Christie card up his sleeve for just such an occasion? And does anyone doubt that Christie will be amply rewarded–assuming Trump wins?