“[Obama has] got to lay out what he wants his deal to be and we negotiate from there,” Christie added. “Whether we should accept or not depends on what else happens, you got to look at the entire deal as a whole.”

As for how sacrosanct taxes are, Christie said: “Raising rates shouldn’t be something we should be looking to do.”

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That’s the same line offered up by nearly every Republican governor. But that they’re not urging GOP members of Congress to fight to political death on the issue is far more telling. Many governors dodged the question or talked in generalities.

“I’m going to let John Boehner decide this,” said Ohio Gov. John Kasich, after dutifully noting his dislike for tax increases.

Kasich, the former House Budget chairman, added: “When people want to reach an agreement they figure it out where both sides have some sort of a win.”

Asked if new federal tax revenue should be taken off the table, Maine Gov. Paul LePage said: “I’m not saying that. I’m not in Washington. Let the people in Washington make that decision.”

North Carolina Gov.-elect Pat McCrory also shrugged.

“I don’t know,” he said, when asked if tax increases on the rich can be avoided in a fiscal cliff deal.

Florida Gov Rick Scott, asked about the top rates, didn’t address the question and discussed the importance of job creation.

“They have to say, ‘I’m 100 percent focused on how I get the economy going,’” Scott said. “Is what I’m doing going to create more jobs for Americans or not?”

Pressed on the question at hand he said, “Whatever that means for tax rates I’m going to do it, whatever that means for spending that’s what I’m going to do,” he said about economic development.

McDonnell, though, was clear-eyed about the seeming inevitability that any major agreement will include tax hikes for the wealthy.

“Clearly, overwhelmingly people in America believe that raising rates on people that are in the upper income is part of the mix, the president is supporting that,” said the Virginian. “And I think the reality is something like that is going to be part of a final deal.”