MARK KIESLING: Daniels reply to Obama could be springboard to '16 presidential run

Tuesday night was Mitch Daniels' Barack Obama moment.

Just as Obama was given center stage in 2004 to deliver the keynote speech to the Democratic National Convention, Daniels was given the spotlight Tuesday.

He was the Republican choice to respond to now-President Obama's State of the Union address, a platform that only can mean one thing: The GOP is seriously considering him as its candidate for the White House in 2016.

The two-term Indiana governor declined to run this year, citing family issues, but I say he knew he couldn't beat the charismatic Obama.

Daniels was careful, very careful, not to be critical of things that have made Obama popular while focusing on some of the holes in his rhetoric, particularly when it came to job creation.

He also was very careful not to engage in partisan attacks, using measured tones and what arguably showed a presidential demeanor.

Formerly the budget director under George W. Bush, Daniels looked right into the Obama agenda and faced its shortcomings head on — yet doing it in a way that could hardly alienate Democrats who may have been looking for vitriol and caustic criticism.

In short, he sounded like a statesman. Not the most exciting one, perhaps, but one who could garner support from his own party while failing to ignite anger from the opposition.

Obama, while perhaps not deserving of a second term, was far more charismatic and knows how to deliver a speech.

They must teach you at Democrat school how to be charismatic: FDR, JFK, Bill Clinton and now Obama.

On the other hand, at Republican school, they left that course off the curriculum. It's the party of Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Bush pere and fils.

Sure, there were exceptions. But Ike was the man who won World War II and Ronald Reagan? He was also a movie actor.

Daniels is being groomed for the 2016 presidential run. By not running this year, he won't carry the stigma of a loser.

He's intellectual, fiscally responsible, and not least of all, he rides a Harley. He kept his state in the black while his Midwestern neighbors were circling the financial toilet bowl.

Now, with Tuesday's performance on the national stage, it's as if the GOP is saying to the rest of the nation, who are mostly unfamiliar with the Indiana governor: Here's your guy for 2016.

Obama can't run again because of term limits. Hillary Clinton? She's so 2008.

But if Daniels manages to (with the advice and consent of the GOP) maintain a high profile, he's gonna be the guy to beat in 2016.

The opinions are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at mark.kiesling@nwi.com or (219) 933-4170.