MITCH DANIELS WILL NOT RUN FOR PRESIDENT

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels announced early Sunday morning that he will not be candidate for President in 2012. This comes as a disappointment to many Republicans who felt Daniels record of government spending cuts and fiscal responsibility would hit home with voters in a troubled American economy.

"In the end, I was able to resolve every competing consideration but one. The interests and wishes of my family is the most important consideration of all.

"If I have disappointed you, I will always be sorry. If you feel that this was a non-courageous or unpatriotic decision, I understand and will not attempt to persuade you otherwise. I only hope that you will accept my sincerity in the judgment I reached.

"Please stay in touch if you see ways in which an obscure Midwestern governor might make a constructive contribution to the rebuilding of our economy and our republic," Daniels wrote in a letter announcing his decision.

Good for Daniels, we can respect that he cares for his wife's opinion and his family and friends privacy.

Not trying to smear him, but I wonder if it had anything to do with the information that came out on Thursday about his support for a individual mandate-like policy or maybe Rush Limbaugh talking about him and the support he was receiving from the White House and Washington Post. Things were starting to come out even before he made an official run. If this was a preview of what was to come than I don't blame him for bailing out.

The presidential run is like no other race and it takes a lot of energy, lose of privacy, and other things that sometimes it is not worth it. In his case he would have to go beyond his wife's comfort zone and, I assume, out of love he listened to his wife's desires.

At the same time, I can't blame the media to vet the candidates. That is their job and why we buy the papers and visit the websites, to get the information we would not have seen.

Posted in: US