If republicans were smart, they'd leave Palin in Alaska. Think of the hubris it took for her to accept the vp nomination when she was so unqualified.
WaPo: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who has emerged as one of the hottest names in national Republican circles since John McCain's defeat last week, was never vetted as a vice presidential pick, according to sources close to the Pelican State chief executive.
Jindal was approached by McCain forces to gauge his interest in the vice presidency and told them he was not interested in being vetted due to his desire to continue on with his current job, to which he was elected just one year ago.
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.
Some McCain insiders fretted privately that Jindal was too young -- 37 -- and too inexperienced (he had been a congressman since 2004 and was elected governor in 2007) to provide a stark enough contrast with Barack Obama. Of course, experience wound up being a less important factor than many people thought as McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
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.
