McCain postpones meeting Jindal, speculation stays
New York, July 24 (IANS)

Republican presidential candidate John McCain has "postponed" a planned meeting with Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, and despite the Indian American leader's latest assertion that he was not running for vice president, speculation over his chances persisted. The meeting Arizona Senator McCain had scheduled with the governor in New Orleans Wednesday evening before the Thursday tour of an oil platform did not happen.

"Due to the weather, the senator's planned trip to tour an oil platform has been cancelled and he will be postponing his meeting with Governor Jindal," a McCain campaign spokesman told a Louisiana TV channel.

On Wednesday morning, Jindal made perhaps his strongest statement yet regarding running for vice president. Appearing on the TV programme FOX and Friends, he said: "I'm not going to be the vice presidential nominee or vice president." However, Fox cited Jindal insiders as saying that he would take the job if offered.

At a campaign stopover in Pennsylvania, McCain again praised him, saying: "Bobby Jindal and a number of governors, I think, are the future of the Republican Party." Meanwhile, according to a Republican-oriented pollster, Jindal has "what may be the highest approval ratings of any governor in the nation".

In his memo to the Louisiana Republican Party, Wes Anderson of OnMessage Inc said 70 percent of the citizens in the state said in a poll that they have a favourable opinion of Jindal.