My President Mitch?

Gov. Mitch Daniels said last summer that the office of governor was “the last one I’m going to hold.”

Many took this statement to be the end of speculation about the possibility that Indiana’s highly popular chief executive would run for president in 2012.

Then, in February, he told the Washington Post he was open to the idea, if only “to get [certain supporters] off my back.”

What changed in the meantime?

For one thing, President Obama’s approval rating went from 60 percent down to a worrisome 50 percent over that period, according to Gallup.

In addition, Daniels’ profile has continued to rise nationally as more and more conservative publications and thinkers tout his record as governor and his suitability for the presidency.

Last year, both National Review and the Weekly Standard ran cover stories on the governor that were predictably praise-laden but insightful at the same time.
The National Review piece described Daniels as “not exactly thrilling, but full of substance and detail.”

This is the sort of praise the governor is used to receiving, and it is one of the primary reasons why many observers think Daniels would make a viable challenger to President Obama, who has been criticized for being too flashy and seeming more concerned with style than substance.

The 61-year-old  has also been touted by other potential candidates, most notably Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., who has become known for his “Road Map for America’s Future,” a collection of policy proposals that differs sharply from the president’s agenda.

Rep. Ryan said in July that he will not run for president in 2012 and that “nobody [but Daniels] comes to mind” when he contemplates which potential contenders understand and are committed to the vision he outlines in his Road Map.

Daniels has also generated enthusiasm for his record as a strict fiscal disciplinarian, which has left Indiana with one of the few budget surpluses of any state, a feat achieved with efforts such as privatization of state services and elimination of wasteful expenditures.

Daniels might not be talking or acting like a typical candidate does around this time in the election cycle, but in a way, that is refreshing.

Unlike the many politicians who have been attempting to hide their lust for presidential power since the day after the 2008 election, Gov. Daniels seems genuinely uninterested in seeking higher office and committed to finishing the work he set for himself in Indiana.

But, then again, if the 24-hour news cycle is a lifetime in politics, Daniels has plenty of time to change his mind.