Louisiana Now Exclusive: Will he stay or will he go? Jindal not interested in running for president

Let's face it, Louisiana. Our governor is a rising star on the national political scene.
Republicans threw around Bobby Jindal's name earlier this year when John McCain was searching for a running mate in the presidential race. So surely we can expect to hear Jindal's name come up even more over the next four years leading up to the 2012 election.
Assuming Democratic presidential-elect Barack Obama puts in a solid first term, he'll be a force to be reckoned with when re-election time comes. The Republicans had a tough time finding an opponent to top Obama this year, so the GOP will have their work cut out for them to take back the White House. It'll be especially tough if Obama has a successful first term. You could almost say that the Republican candidate in 2012 would be a sacrificial lamb if Obama builds some momentum.
With that being said, Jindal says he's not interested in running for a national office. He's said time and time again that he likes the job he has now, and hopes to win re-election as governor in 2011.
Keep in mind Jindal did pay a visit to Iowa recently, and that only fueled more speculation. Let's hope he's not pulling our chain here. We are all familiar with the old bait-and-switch move politicians are known to pull. They'll say it one way for years and years sometimes, then change their mind at the last possible moment. A lot can - and will - happen between now and the next election. Will Jindal keep his word?
After all, our governor is a young man and has plenty of time to make the jump to the national scene. Who knows, maybe 2016 will be his time. Even if Obama wins re-election, he'll be out of office by then. After eight years of a Democrat in the White House, it would be a golden opportunity for the GOP to plug in a star candidate.
But in order to be such a candidate down the line, Jindal must continue to improve Louisiana to build his track record. He still has a few years to go on his current term to leave his mark on the state, and then there's always the strong possibility of a second term where he can do even more.
The 2012 election is still a long way away, but rest assured, we'll hear plenty about it in the years to come. In the meantime, the best we can hope for is our governor's full attention to our state. If Jindal can turn our state around, maybe he has what it takes to lead the country. There are still a lot of possibilities on the horizon for our state and governor. We're going to be in the spotlight, so now's our time to shine.