THE ONE GOOD THING TO COME OUT OF THE SPILL – AT 9:18 A.M. ET:  One voice, above all others, has been rational and wise in handling the Gulf oil spill, Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana.

Written off by some after a disastrous national appearance when he responded to President Obama's State of the Union message on behalf of the Republican Party, Jindal has been trying to find a voice to equal the competence he's shown as Louisiana's governor.   He's found it.  From Fox:

PORT FOURCHON, La. — In the gathering frustration over failures to stop the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has emerged as one of the staunchest critics of the response by the federal government and BP PLC.

Nearly every day, the Republican policy wonk pulls on his brown cowboy boots and traipses across a newly oiled shore, or takes a boat through fouled waters. Along the way, he often lambastes BP's and the federal government's efforts as "too little, too late" for communities scrambling to protect their fragile wetlands from encroaching crude—comments that have drawn sharp criticism from the White House and some Democratic lawmakers.

Louisiana has jurisdiction over its coastline, but none in the federal waters of the Gulf.

Mr. Jindal accuses the federal government of poorly coordinating cleanup efforts between its agencies and BP, leading to delays in cleaning oiled beaches and marshes, laying protective boom and delivering resources to critical areas.

Pledging that Louisiana will "take matters into our own hands" if the Obama administration doesn't speed up its pace, he has begun coastal patrols for oil and relays new sightings to the Coast Guard and BP. He dispatched the Louisiana National Guard and state personnel to build shore barriers, lay sandbags and monitor the shores.

COMMENT:  Jindal has often been talked about as a potential national candidate, although the talk died down after his failed national speech.  Now he's coming back, and could easily be a vice presidential candidate, or more.  The son of Indian immigrants, he would be the first non-white on a GOP ticket, taking a bit of the racial wind out of Obama's sails.

The national press, of course, is not emphasizing Jindal's critical role, but his constant activity, and sharp attacks on the White House, are being noticed.  Watch him carefully, if you can find the coverage.

June 2, 2010