ELECTION UPDATE: A TRUE SLEEPER CANDIDATE – AT 8:52 A.M. ET:  There is no more competent governor in American today than Mitch Daniels, the governor of Indiana.  And naturally, there is "that kind" of talk about him, as The Politico notes:

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels has been holding a series of private dinners with top Republican business leaders, policy hands and donors from around the country since this spring, an indication that he’s thinking more seriously about a presidential bid than he publicly lets on.

The dinners, which take place at the governor’s mansion in Indianapolis, are meant to introduce Daniels to a class of GOP heavy-hitters who could both finance and advise a White House campaign.

And...

Both attendees and Daniels’ advisers said the governor is not using the sit-downs to request commitments or even talking in any detail about the prospect of a run.

Rather, the intimate get-togethers are more like get-to-know-you sessions – the political equivalent of a first date – in which the governor can tell the story of what he’s done in the Hoosier State and gauge interest in a possible candidacy and his visitors can get a first-hand look at the Republican who’s been winning so much insider buzz.

Daniels would probably make a fine president.  The problem, though, is that he'd have to get elected.  That is a complication that has frustrated many men.  If truth be told, Daniels has a speaking style that can render the residents of cemeteries even more dead.  He is an instant cure for insomnia. 

I heard him speak at a small meeting earlier this year.  Nice guy, personable.  But he has that roundabout, philosophical way of speaking that makes you wonder what he's really saying. 

Look, maybe this is the right time for a guy like this – a politician who doesn't sound like one.  He could be the unique guy who wins despite the rules.  But he'll have to convince a public with an attention span of ten seconds.

Intriguing, though.  I hope he runs just to give an unusual guy a shot.

September 14, 2010