Is the Jindal veep talk for real?

Mark Halperin, Matt Drudge, etc. are buzzing about a report from Robert Novak that John McCain will make his vice-presidential selection later this week. Meanwhile, Chris Cillizza comments on McCain’s unexpected (and strategically puzzling) decision to travel to New Orleans this Thursday to meet with Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. Coincidence? Doubtful.

But does McCain really think that a 37 year old unknown with reputedly scant experience can convince the American people that he’s ready to serve as president should the unthinkable happen? Intrade, which specializes in political futures, doesn’t think so. It currently gives Jindal just a 9.2% chance of becoming the Republican veep pick — decent odds but well behind Mitt Romney at 38.5% and still trailing obscure Alaska Governor Sarah Palin at 15.0% and Minnesota’s relatively bland executive Tim Pawlenty at 11.0%.

But I’d take the Jindal veep talk more seriously than the “Intraders” for three reasons:

[1] Jindal’s more experienced than you think. Before reaching the age of 29, Jindal had already run Louisiana’s massive Department of Health and Hospitals and been named President of the University of Louisiana system. In 2001 he was nominated for and served nearly two years as Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services before entering Congress in 2005 and the Louisiana governor’s mansion in early 2008. This political resume compares quite favorably with Barack Obama’s seven years in the Illinois Senate and three-plus years in the US Senate.

[2] Jindal’s a very appealing politician. Think John Edwards but of Indian descent and without the $400 haircuts (and a lot more conservative). Anyone who caught Jindal’s appearance on The Tonight Show back in April saw a star in the making.

[3] A conventional pick just won’t do this time around. McCain’s campaign is in rough shape: a PPP poll out today shows Obama +8 in Ohio, a margin that if it holds would sound the death knell for McCain’s presidential ambitions. Obama, meanwhile, is making all the news with his tour of the Middle East and Western Europe; meetings with Karzai, Maliki, Sarkozy, Merkel, and Brown are likely to enhance his growing presidential aura. And Chuck Hagel (accompanying Obama on his trip) is close to becoming Obama’s version of Joe Lieberman. The point is that McCain needs a bold VP pick, someone who could inject some life into his decrepit campaign. Jindal — smart, charismatic, and not an old white man — could be the answer.

If Novak’s right we’ll find out later this week. Stay tuned…

China’s gold medal diplomacy

Apparently China thinks that the gold medal tally at next month’s Beijing Olympics is more than a commentary on athletic prowess. The Daily Telegraph reports that the Chinese are not only optimistic about winning more gold medals than the United States, but also that they see the tally as a reflection of China’s growing economy and a potential boon to its international prestige.

To this end, China has poured money into its Olympic development programs. Its not-so-secret plans include a strong emphasis on rowing events, which could yield as many as fourteen gold medals in Beijing. Last month’s New York Times profiled former Soviet rowing coach Igor Grinko, who has taken over China’s rowing team with disciplinary zeal.

What are we to make of this Chinese quest for gold? Mark Leonard at the European Council on Foreign Relations has come out with a new book, What Does China Think?, which details a Chinese obsession with what he calls “comprehensive national power” (or CNP). Included in the CNP formula are traditional measures of power such as GDP or military expenditure, but also soft/cultural power (or in Chinese ruan quanli). Viewed from this perspective, China’s gold medal tally is as much a matter of good diplomacy as it is a subject of national pride. If China sits atop the medal chart come August 24, its particular way of doing things may inch closer to a broad-based international appeal. China may increasingly be able to get other to want what it wants.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. China’s certainly not guaranteed to win the most gold medals despite home field advantage, nor are the games likely to go off without a hitch or three (pollution and human rights concerns abound). And gold medals alone aren’t that significant. But this conversation is only indicative of a broader trend: the popularization of the “China dream” as a consequence of China’s incredibly successful economic development.

Thoughts?