Chris Christie Tussles With 'Morning Joe' Panel Over Gay Marriage Veto

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie didn't give an inch today on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" when he was pressed on vetoing a gay marriage legalization bill in his state. Additionally, he threw a number of rhetorical punches while responding to his critics.

When Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart appeared onscreen and tried to tear into Christie over the veto, the governor was ready to take him on.

Christie immediately pointed out that President Barack Obama has gone to great lengths to avoid taking a principled stance on gay marriage.

"Let's have the president have some courage, come on camera and state his position -- he won't, he wants to have it both ways. I vetoed the bill, that's my position," Christie said, drawing a stark juxtaposition between himself and the commander-in-chief on the issue.

Christie then clarified his justification for vetoing the New Jersey state legislature bill, saying, "If majority want it, prove it -- put it on the ballot. At least I'm standing up for what I believe in."

Christie continued to hammer the president's position on same sex marriage, while Capeheart offered the following in Obama's defense:

"He's evolving on the issue."

This caused an uproar of laughter and yelling on the "Morning Joe" set. Christie could be heard shouting over the din that "this is the sort of political cowardice that we don't want."

Capeheart tried to extrapolate on his defense of Obama's position by stating that the Justice Department currently refuses to enforce the Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA), but Christie remained unpersuaded by this point.

The conversation at the "Morning Joe" table then shifted to the comparison that some were making between the Civil Rights movement and gay marriage. Both Christie and host Joe Scarborough clearly found the comparison faulty.

Things got even more heated from there, with a lot of talking over one another, but Governor Christie remained resolute and, of course, audible throughout.

Watch the clip of this fiery exchange below, courtesy of MSNBC:

(H/T: Mediaite)