Meet Gov. Mitch Daniels

For those of you who do not know my governor, I hope you will make some time and watch this speech given by Mitch Daniels at the CPAC. It's a little over a half hour. First you will need to bear through the short introduction by George Will. Those who know George will know that he is not the most animated speaker you will ever encounter, but he says much in a very short passage.

Although he's more lively than Will, Gov. Daniels is not an oratorical scientist either. He does not use a speech to incite by emotion like our current President did on his way to the White House. There are no rhymes, no abundance of tone fluctuations. What you will find, however, is that he uses intelligent and reasoned statements to inspire and provoke deep and careful thoughts. He uses the power of persuasion to convince, and does it through a deep sense of conviction.

The Governor is not without some fault. As is the case with every human being drawing breath on this earth, he is not perfect.

If he gets serious about a run for the WH, it is certain that the left will dig up something insignificant from his formative years, which is a time when we all were susceptible to poor decisions now and then. And as we all know, the MSM will run with it like he knocked off a gas station and shot a clerk. Those people are despicable and will stop and nothing to distract us from the here and now, and it will be no different with Mr. Daniels.

In the matters of policy, there may be some things he says that may not be agreeable to every conservative--maybe not in this speech, but in another down the road. He may not be as socially conservative as some people will prefer, which means you may not hear him get overly involved in some issues of conscience. But that doesn't mean he is oblivious to them.

The point is, if you listen to this speech carefully, without bias and prejudice, you may discover that this a man who is both qualified capable to lead this nation in the direction it so desperately needs to be led. And to answer the more important questions in your mind, he can beat Barack Obama and he can raise the money it will take to do it.

I am not writing this to sing his praises because he is my Governor. I am presenting this to my readers, in the hopes that they will listen to the speech. I am hoping that it will give cause for many to think about the choice they will face in the 2012 GOP nomination process. Daniels hasn't declared his candidacy yet, but we can still hear what he is saying and use it to make the best informed choice we can... based on everything that is important, not related to pure emotion.

It will not be easy an easy choice to make, when the time comes. By the time it all gets going, there will be a lot being said and the words will be flying everywhere. My hope is that this speech will give you a good overview of who Mitch Daniels is and what he has done for the state of Indiana. And if he ends up being a candidate, you can put him on your short list.

He is down to earth, he rides a Harley, and has spent a lot of time listening to the common citizens of this state. He has executive experience in the private sector, as well as several advisory roles in government going back to the Reagan Administration. And more than anything else, he has not been afraid to do what he thinks is right despite the horrible things the Democrats have said about him, along the way. And the harsh words have been many.

The result of this immeasurable courage has been a solvent state that is in the black, while every state that surrounds it is sinking in a sea of red ink. There are problems here in Indiana, just like anywhere else. The economy has created suffering here too. But it is nowhere near the levels we see in other parts of the country--places where government promotes government solutions, over those of private enterprise.

Here is the full text to read if you choose, with or without the backdrop of the sound. I listened to it twice to make sure I didn't miss something while I was thnking deeply about something he said.

I truly hope you take the opportunity to listen and digest what he is saying.