Julian Zelizer: Gov. Daniels -- GOP's best hope for 2012?
[Julian E. Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School. His new book is "Arsenal of Democracy: The Politics of National Security: From World War II to the War on Terrorism," published by Basic Books. Zelizer writes widely about current events.]
Conservative pundits are in love with a candidate for 2012, and it is not Sarah Palin. If you ask many top Republicans their favorite pick for the presidential campaign, they will answer Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels.
Although many news junkies are left scratching their heads over this, the conservative intelligentsia see Daniels as the best possible path to challenging President Obama. As The New York Times columnist Ross Douthat wrote, "He'd be the best president of any of them."
Daniels has a distinguished history. He earned his bachelor's degree at Princeton and his law degree at Georgetown. Before he was elected governor of Indiana in 2004, Daniels worked as an adviser to President Reagan and as President George W. Bush's director of the Office of Management and Budget. He was also an executive at Eli Lilly and worked as the chief executive of the Hudson Institute, among other jobs.
Certain Republicans find Daniels attractive because they realize the 2012 campaign will not only be a mandate on President Obama; the GOP will undertake its campaign in the long shadow of President Bush, who ended his presidency with historically low approval ratings and a demoralized party....
Read entire article at CNN.com
Conservative pundits are in love with a candidate for 2012, and it is not Sarah Palin. If you ask many top Republicans their favorite pick for the presidential campaign, they will answer Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels.
Although many news junkies are left scratching their heads over this, the conservative intelligentsia see Daniels as the best possible path to challenging President Obama. As The New York Times columnist Ross Douthat wrote, "He'd be the best president of any of them."
Daniels has a distinguished history. He earned his bachelor's degree at Princeton and his law degree at Georgetown. Before he was elected governor of Indiana in 2004, Daniels worked as an adviser to President Reagan and as President George W. Bush's director of the Office of Management and Budget. He was also an executive at Eli Lilly and worked as the chief executive of the Hudson Institute, among other jobs.
Certain Republicans find Daniels attractive because they realize the 2012 campaign will not only be a mandate on President Obama; the GOP will undertake its campaign in the long shadow of President Bush, who ended his presidency with historically low approval ratings and a demoralized party....