Ruffini calls for a groundswell, which shouldn’t be too difficult. So obviously is this a good idea that I assumed Jindal had already been named. But then, this is the party that didn’t see the Ted Stevens catastrophe coming from four years away. Assume nothing.

A charismatic young politician, a keynote springboard to national fame — we’ve seen this movie before and it ends happily (thus far). Exit question: Anyone not think this is a no-brainer?

Update: Surprising grumbling in the comments about his history with exorcism and vote on creationism.

Update: You can use the keynote either to promote a new political talent or to showcase a dynamic speaker who can use the time to sell the party’s message ahead of the election (or, in the case of someone like Obama, both). Jindal fits the bill on the first point, but as much as it pains me to say it, the best we can do on the second is probably Huckabee. He’s not popular enough within the party to get the slot, in all likelihood, but there’s no better communicator on the right at the moment and it’d be a sop to evangelicals miffed at the fact that he’s left off the ticket. Worth considering.