Obama, Christie Reminisce at Jersey Shore

Photo ops for storm recovery

There may have been no better way to demonstrate that New Jersey's shore is rebounding from the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy than a visit from President Obama and Chris Christie, the Republican governor, to the football toss along one of the state's iconic boardwalks.

Four throws later, Mr. Obama had yet to land a fuzzy teddy bear when Mr. Christie lobbed his first ball at "Touchdown Fever," and scored. The bipartisan high-five that followed was symbolic of the day's effort to highlight the cooperation between state and federal governments after the storm.

"That's because he's running for office," Mr. Obama joked, after Mr. Christie's football sailed through the moving tire.

The jovial reunion stood in stark contrast to the grim scene last fall, when Mr. Obama and Mr. Christie joined together for a somber election-eve photo-op, walking through the wreckage of property and lives that the hurricane had just left behind.