Predictably, Gov. Chris Christie’s decision to withdraw the appeal of a New Jersey court order to allow gay marriage has left conservatives dismayed.

The Family Research Council issued a statement of “disappointment,” implying that Christie lacked the backbone to pursue the legal fight to defend traditional marriage.

“We are glad that Gov. Christie vetoed the legislature’s attempt to redefine marriage, and that he was initially willing to defend the state’s marriage law in court.  However, conservatives are looking for leaders who will sustain their commitment to unchanging principles,’ read a statement from FRC senior fellow for policy Peter Sprigg.

“Combined with his signing of a radical bill to outlaw even voluntary sexual orientation change efforts with minors, today’s action has given conservatives serious pause about Gov. Christie’s reliability,’ Sprigg continued.

Bob Vander Plaats, the conservative gatekeeper in Iowa, went further in comments to National Review, saying Christie’s position would better suit a Democratic presidential candidate.

 “This would suit him a lot better if he were running as a Democrat,” he says, adding that while social conservatives “had some cautionary flags raised already,” the move is uniquely problematic for the governor.

“This just adds more concern to those cautionary flags,” he says, “because not only is he backing away from a very principled stance of one-man-one-woman marriage, he’s also backing away from the Constitution and the separation of powers.”

“It’s a huge issue,” Vander Plaats concludes.

A new Rutgers-Eagleton poll finds support for gay marriage in New Jersey at 61 percent.  For the first time in the poll, a plurality of New Jersey Republicans support gay marriage.

But, as Christie well knows, the Garden State is a long way from Iowa.

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