Thaindian News

Washington, Nov 13 (ANI): The experience of 39-year-old Bobby Jindal, the Indian origin Governor of Louisiana, is being viewed by many as his biggest selling point as one of the 12 potential Republican candidates looking at the 2012 presidential polls, according to Fox News.

Special Report with Bret Baier is launching a 12-day series on the topic called “12 in ‘12″ that each day will feature a profile of one of 12 Republicans who may launch presidential bids for the 2012 race.

If Jindal were to run for President in 2012 and win the election, he would reportedly be the youngest president in history.

“He’s always been talked about as a future star of the Republican Party. He comes off as a competent and effective governor,” National Public Radio (NPR) correspondent Mara Liasson, said.

Jindal counts 35,000 new jobs, 5 billion dollars in private capital investment and “the largest income tax cut in our state’s history” during his watch as governor. But whether his approach to governing a state would translate to success in governing nationally is another story, she added.

Jindal is the former secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. He served as assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under former President George W. Bush, and is a former congressman.

Now, he is in his first term as governor of Louisiana, a state with a daunting array of challenges.

Jindal’s Democratic critics however say that for all the governor’s complaints about President Obama’s policies, he is quick to grab federal cash when he can, such as with the federal economic stimulus legislation passed in early 2009, the report said.

He’s also critical of the federal health care overhaul passed by Democrats this year, saying it will cost Louisiana billions. As for foreign policy, Jindal says the war on terrorism is the most pressing issue, it added.

The similarity between Obama and Jindal is surely why the GOP chose Jindal to deliver the Republican response to Obama’s first state of the union address. But in the eyes of most commentators, it suffered in comparison, the report said.

“I think I pretty clearly proved to the country that I can’t read a Teleprompter. I enjoy talking to people. And I enjoy just interacting with them naturally, without notes,” Jindal said with a smile.

However, on being asked about a White House run, he repeatedly has said, not so fast.

“When the other candidates are running for president, I’ll be running for re-election. I’ve got the job that I want. … We’re doing good work here, but we’ve got more work to do,” he added. (ANI)