Jindal, Hillary discount White House runs

WASHINGTON - Louisiana’s Indian American Governor Bobby Jindal, a Republican, and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a Democrat, have discounted unending speculation that they may run for the White House in 2012.

Jindal is adamant about running for re-election in Louisiana and Clinton says she loves her job as America’s top diplomat.

“I’m running for re-election in 2011,” Jindal told NBC Sunday. “I am running to be governor of Louisiana. There will be other candidates running for president.”

When asked if he would consider running as vice president on the Republican ticket in 2012, Jindal left the door open.

“I’m not going to turn down something that’s been offered to me,” he said. “But I’m not running for vice president.

“My only political aspiration is to be re-elected governor for a second term,” Jindal reiterated when asked about his post-2012 aspirations.

He also said former Alaska Republican governor Sarah Palin could make a “compelling case” for president.

What’s more important for the country than who will run in 2012, he said, is for Republicans to “show the American people we’ve learned our lessons, we deserve to be a majority party again.”

Hillary Clinton was more clear about her future political plans. “I am not in any way interested in or pursuing anything in elected office,” she said on “Fox News Sunday.”

Clinton laughed off speculation that she might run for president in 2012.

“I love what I’m doing,” Clinton said. “I can’t tell you what it’s like… to every day get to represent the United States.”

She said she feels strongly about “every issue, from START to Afghanistan.”

But her repeated claims that she won’t run for office again have done little to quell the talk that she might challenge President Barack Obama when he seeks re-election in two years time.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)