PolitickerNJ.com

Since the defeat of Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, speculation has turned to the district's schools chancellor and resident education rock star, Michelle Rhee. 

Rhee has been at the heart of the city's hard core reform effort but she has clashed with Fenty's vanquisher, Council Chairman Vincent Gray. 

Now with her future in D.C. undecided, tongues in the education community are wagging that Rhee would make an excellent replacement for fired state education chief Bret Schundler.

Like Gov. Chris Christie, Rhee has been unafraid and unapologetic in battling the teachers union and like Christie, she favors merit pay and tenure reform.

Supporters say she is fighting the good fight and doing what the establishment has avoided for years.  Detractors say she acts too fast and is unresponsive to her critics...Sound familiar?

There is no doubt that a Rhee-Christie match would have the union heading for the mattresses, but Christie has already clashed with one education commissioner who sought to do things his way. Can he handle another?

There is no official word yet on whether Rhee plans to leave D.C. or whether Christie has considered her for the New Jersey job.