It’d be easy to take for granted the idea that Chris Christie — he who so vigorously resisted every attempt to enlist him in the GOP presidential primary — won’t even consider the vice presidential nomination. Why, after all, would a guy who very well could have been the GOP nominee in his own right had he not opted to remain as governor of New Jersey want to play second fiddle to Mitt Romney?

According to Christie himself, though, it would be the height of arrogance to not even consider accepting the nomination should it be offered to him:

“I love this job (governor) and I’m not looking to do it (vice president),” the governor said.

“But I also think it is extraordinarily arrogant for you to say you won’t even listen to the nominee of your party – especially for me. It’s someone who I’ve been supporting since last October vigorously around the country – that I wouldn’t take a call from Mitt Romney,” Christie told reporters at a press conference here.

He continued, saying if  “Mitt Romney calls and wants to discuss it with me, I will sit down and talk with Gov. Romney about it.”

Did Christie intend to call the likes of Marco Rubio, Nikki Haley and others who have said they’re not interested in the vice presidential nomination “arrogant”? Probably not; he hedged his comment immediately with the qualifier “especially for me.” Christie’s comment — like so many of his — rings true. To not even consider the request would smack of distrust of the man for whom he’s campaigned for months.

Probably, though, Christie can afford to say this because he knows Mitt Romney won’t ask him to be the VP. While Christie certainly has a frank appeal that Romney lacks, he’s still the governor of a Northeastern state. He doesn’t offer regional — or, really, any other kind — of diversity.

Plus, Christie says he’s been perfectly candid with Romney that the position of vice president is not something to which he’s aspired for ages. His comments seem to hint at his own secure sense that Romney wouldn’t ask him to leave a job he really loves for a job he’d perform out of nothing more than a sense of obligation.