The Veepstakes continue -- while for Obama the choice is not terribly important, for McCain it is critical that he get it just right. Newt Gingrich, among others, has been emphatic that Bobby Jindal is the only rational choice for McCain to make, and McCain and Jindal are talking this week.
While not long ago, MH would have dismissed the possibility of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal as the VP candidate because he is still in his first year as governor. But when running against Sen. Obama, whose accomplishments that he lists in TV ads have to dip into legislation he voted for as a state senator in Illinois, this isn't a year when experience matters that much. With several terms in the U.S. House under his belt and extensive executive experience at both the state and federal level, Jindal is more ready to be President than is Sen. Obama.
The most important reason for McCain to choose Jindal is, however, pretty simple: he is the smartest, most reform-minded, and most exciting governor that the Republican Party has right now. Quite frankly, we need to have him engaged at the national level. His selection would pump up every segment of the grassroots in the Republican Party. He wouldn't be threatening to anyone except those who are scared of any conservative shadow.
And win or lose, Jindal's selection would put him at the center of national Republican politics. Anything that accomplishes that is a good thing.
