When New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) said that his state’s Department of Education had provided the federal government with accurate numbers for 2010 during a presentation, he was relying on the statements of Bret Schundler, New Jersey’s education commissioner. Well, it turns out Schundler was lying. Tape of the presentation found that the accurate numbers were not provided.

So what’s a governor to do with the lying top education official in his state? I mean, after all, the official is a member of Christie’s own party and administration. So what’s a governor to do? If the governor is Chris Christie, he swiftly and publicly fires the education commissioner.

“I was extremely disappointed to learn that the videotape of the Race to the Top presentation was not consistent with the information provided to me by the New Jersey Department of Education and which I then conveyed to the people of New Jersey. As a result, I ordered an end to Bret Schundler’s service as New Jersey’s Education Commissioner and as a member of my administration,” Christie said in a statement issued at 12:30 p.m. today.

You know what’s sad? Christie’s action to hold the education commissioner accountable is a breath of fresh air in modern politics. Rather than cover for his administration official or distract from the story with other news, Christie immediately fired the official and made sure the public knew about it.

If only we could get such leadership in Washington today. Tim Geithner and Larry Summers have absolutely failed in their duty to turn the economy around, yet both remain integral parts of the Obama Administration. Why? Because they’re buddies with Obama, and he’s not going to can a buddy just for incompetence and failure.