Gov. Jindal to respond to Obama

Republicans have tapped Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana to give their official response to President Obama’s Feb. 24 address to a joint session of Congress, giving Republicans a fresh face to offer their counterpoint.

“Gov. Jindal embodies what I have long said: the Republican Party must not be simply the party of ‘opposition,’ but the party of better solutions,” said House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, in announcing the decision.

After taking a spanking in last year’s elections Republicans have been searching for faces to carry their message and for many, Mr. Jindal is an obvious choice.

Mr. Jindal, the son of immigrants from India, is youthful, but has already amassed substantial legislative and executive experience. He won Louisiana’s governorship in 2007, and some Republicans thought he would have been a good vice presidential pick for Sen. John McCain in last year’s election.

Like Mr. Obama, Mr. Jindal made ethics reforms a centerpiece of his own agenda in Louisiana.

Mr. Obama’s address is similar to a State of the Union speech, though it is not technically the same. Mr. Jindal’s response, a tradition for the party out of power, will be televised after Mr. Obama speaks. He will speak from Baton Rouge, La.