Friday, May 2, 2008

On Monday night, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal sat down on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and pronounced himself content with his day job. To have said more would have been presumptuous, the GOP wunderkind explained. At 36, the graduate of Brown and Oxford universities is the country's youngest governor, and he's had his current job only since 2007.

Nonetheless, Jindal -- the son of Indian immigrants, the first minority governor of Louisiana since Reconstruction and the first South Asian governor in the United States -- has been the subject of chatter in Republican Party circles as a potential vice presidential candidate in a year when some strategists think John McCain might choose a minority running mate to neutralize the historical appeal of likely Democratic nominee Barack Obama. Jindal's youth and staunch conservatism might also help balance the ticket.

Jindal shot down the rumors. "I've got the job I want," Jindal told Leno. "I told the people of Louisiana this is a historic opportunity to fix our state. I want to be involved in doing that."

"If they let me, I'd like to run for reelection" as governor, he added.

Today at lunch, Jindal will speak at the National Press Club on the topic "Bold Reform That Works." He will discuss his ethics reforms in Louisiana, continued post-Hurricane Katrina redevelopment efforts and proposals to reform the state's business taxes and its health-care, education and transportation systems.

-- Garance Franke-Ruta