'Hurricane Sandy saved Barack Obama's presidency,' says Gov. Haley Barbour

By Eun Kyung Kim, TODAY contributor Haley Barbour, the Mississippi governor who rose to national attention after his state was hit by Hurricane Katrina, asserted Thursday that "Hurricane Sandy saved Barack Obama's presidency." "It broke the momentum that Romney had coming in to the end of October," the former chairman of the Republican National Committee told TODAY's Matt Lauer. Barbour said too much attention was placed on the praise New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie showered on Obama when the president arrived to tour the damage the storm had left on the state. "That's not Chris Christie's fault. Now, I do think the news media made a much bigger deal out of it that made it sound like Christie was almost endorsing Obama," he said. "All Christie said was the president is trying to be a good partner." Barbour said that a governor needs to do what's in "the best interest of his state and his people." And in the case, it was to establish a good tone for what will be a years-long relationship with the federal government. Barbour said he did the same thing with former President Bush after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast region in 2005 and yet "the press attacked me for not criticizing, said that was partisan." More: Elizabeth Warren on deficit: 'There's room for compromise'  Six splitting headache waiting for President Obama