[StBernard] Jindal for Veep?

[Westley Annis]

>Both men are likeable, honorable,

>outside of Washington


Uh excuse me?  I don't know what Mr. Walker means when
he himself lists Jindal's bona fides as two positions
in presidential administrations, plus his election
and reelection to a congressional seat.

Yeah, it would be interesting to see Bobby run for
Gov. of Louisiana only to subsequently be selected as
someone's VEEP candidate.  Of course it would probably
fit in with his habit of not staying with one job
for very long.

Jim


	-----------------------------------------------------
	An Interesting Choice 
	
	By Bruce Walker on Aug 30, 07
	
	
	As the Republican Party looks, like the Democrat Party, weak on
leadership,
	there is one bright spot on the horizon: The next governor of
Louisiana,
	Bobby Jindal. I have written about Jindal before, four years ago
when I
	predicted that he would be the Louisiana gubernatorial election. He
was
	slimed at the end of the campaign with the rankest sort of racial
bigotry
	(Jindal's parents are from India), but that is not going to happen
this
	time. 
	
	
	
	That race, and his successful race for Congress, are honing the
skills of
	this very, very bright man. He is very articulate, very likeable, is
only
	thirty-six years old. But his appeal goes far beyond that. He is a
"person
	of color" and in some respects resembles Obama, who is half-black.
But
	there the comparison ends. Jindal exudes executive confidence and
command
	of facts. 
	
	
	He began serving as Louisiana Secretary of Health and Hospitals at
the
	callow age of twenty-four. Then Jindal was executive director of the
	Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare during the Clinton
	Administration. After that he was president of the Louisiana
University
	System. Finally, President Bush named him Assistant Secretary of
Health and
	Human Services. It is almost impossible to imagine any presidential
	candidate with more experience in both health care administration
and few
	with as much experience in education or entitlements - three key
domestic
	issues. 
	
	
	Moreover, he is a devout Christian who can very intelligently
express his
	beliefs and there is not even the hint of any misconduct or meanness
about
	the man. His conservative credentials are impeccable: His American
	Conservative Union rating for 2005 was 100 percent and for 2006 it
was 92
	percent. Jindal is a man around whom social conservatives and fiscal
	conservatives can both rally. 
	
	
	A Jindal candidacy would add an interesting story to any campaign.
He has
	proven able to work with both political parties, and as governor of
	Louisiana he will hone those skills. Bobby Jindal is also the child
of
	legal immigrants, and immigrants not from across the Rio Grande but
from the
	other side of the world. He would be able to speak not only as a
person of
	color, but also as the child of recent immigrants. 
	
	
	It is, of course, too late for Bobby Jindal - who is barely young
enough to
	run for president - to enter the Republican nomination now. But when
Fred
	Thompson enters the race, as he will soon, I would recommend that he
select
	Governor Jindal as his running mate. Both men are likeable,
honorable,
	outside of Washington, and bring an interesting story to a race. The
	selection would be unexpected, giving the media something truly
interesting
	to talk about - and because there is nothing bad to say about
Jindal, the
	news would have to be good media coverage. 
	
	
	Jindal would run rings around any Democrat selected to run with
Hillary and
	could largely pre-empt her keynote domestic issue, health care, by
noting
	that he actually worked in government health care administration and
helped
	address the issue in a bipartisan commission when her husband was
president.
	
	
	
	On national security issues, the selection of Jindal could provide
America
	with a very potent psychological and political weapon. In 2005,
Bobby
	Jindal was named India Abroad Person of the Year. The world's
largest
	democracy is very aware of Bobby Jindal. India is also the greatest
	obstacle to the spread of Islam in Asia and it is potentially our
most
	potent ally in the war on terrorism. Vice President Jindal could
visit
	India and affect our relationship with India in a way that no other
American
	possibly could. 
	
	
	India faces terrorism from radical Islam as much as any non-Islamic
nation
	on the planet. India, which is quickly rising toward the ranks of a
	superpower, could find in Vice President Jindal a sympathetic
figure, a
	person who understands India, and a powerful link between India and
America.
	His election would be a powerful signal that Americans like and
respect
	India and Indians. 
	
	
	Because of his youth, after having served eight years in the
Thompson
	Adminstration, Jindal would be only forty-five when he ran for
president on
	his own, making him one of the youngest and also one of the most
experienced
	presidential nominees in American history. Does a Jindal candidacy
sound
	unusual? Not thought of Jindal before? Good: That is precisely what
	Americans are looking for - something different from the regular
pool of
	Washington cronies and insiders. That is just what Bobby Jindal
would be.