Vice-prez nominee

Speaking on prospective vice-president nominee floating around in Republican circles, political commentator Rush Limbaugh said: “I’m going to give you a name that would make me jump for joy, Bobby Jindal. I did an interview with Bobby Jindal. He is the next Ronald Reagan if he does not change.”

Jindal, a 36-year-old conservative Republican born in India, took over as the Louisiana governor last month. “He’s young. He was just sworn in for his first term. He’s the guy that beat the liberal Democrat machine throughout Louisiana. He did it on 100 per cent conservatism,” Limbaugh, himself a conservative who has been critical of McCain for his perceived liberal views, said on his radio show.

Conservative

“But I think he may be too conservative for McCain. That depends on who they think McCain will need or want, but Jindal is very young, and he’s only in his first year as Governor,” he said.

Jindal had refused to endorse any of the Republicans in the Louisiana primaries which were won by Mike Huckabee.

But Jindal said he admires Arizona Sen McCain as a “principled” figure.

“You never get the sense he’s trying to appease you, kiss up to you for your vote,” Jindal said. As political pundits weigh on who McCain should pick, some websites said Jindal could negate Democrat Barack Obama’s diversity factor.

Other names

Other names being talked about are Alaska’s Governor Sarah Palin to counter the Hillary Clinton’s female factor and Minnesota’s Governor Tim Pawlenty to help McCain pull in the upper Midwest.