R. Reese Fuller

Why Jindal wasn't vetted

by R. Reese Fuller

The Washington Post reports that Gov. Bobby Jindal was never even vetted to be a VP pick for the McCain ticket, bolstering the governor's public affirmation that he had no desire for the job and was only interested in being Louisiana's governor. But there's more to the story:

While the official reason that Jindal took his name out of contention was his lack of a desire to leave the Louisiana governorship, there was also real trepidation within his political inner circle that Jindal might wind up as the pick -- McCain was attracted to his comprehensive health-care knowledge -- and be caught up in what they believed to be a less-than-stellar campaign that could pin a loss on Jindal without much ability to change or control the direction of the contest. ...

The end result -- intentional or not -- is that Jindal, should he run in 2012, will be free of any taint of President George W. Bush or McCain. ...

In a Post interview this weekend, Jindal said the GOP has to be "the party of change" and "the party of solutions." He's scheduled to speak before the Iowa Family Policy Center on Nov. 22 in West Des Moines, Iowa.