Mitch Daniels out - IN Governor announces he won't run for President

Governor Mitch Daniels has ruled out a run for President.

In a move that some might call disappointing, but none could call a surprise, Daniels cited his family as the reason he has decided not to join the fray.

In an email to supporters, Daniels wrote:

"In the end, I was able to resolve every competing consideration but one, but that, the interests and wishes of my family, is the most important consideration of all. If I have disappointed you, I will always be sorry."

The Daniels family has made no secret of the fact that Mitch's wife Cheri does not prefer the glaring spotlight of life as a political wife. Then the story of their divorce and remarriage started trending as news, and many in the media and blogosphere speculated, or flatly stated, that their marital history was the reason for her media-shyness.

At the time, I linked Ben Smith:

And so Daniels, whose waiting game (in this theory) was effective family politics, if puzzling national politics, can now say, "Well, now it's out there. And now it's old news. No reason not to run."

...and gave my own two cents worth:

Uhh… no. If Daniels runs, Cheri will be subjected to everything from fashion critiques to parsing of her every spoken word. This is only the front edge of the storm.

Now today, DrewM at AOSHQ speculates:

There must be even more to the wife leaving-returning story than we see on the surface (and that's quite a bit already).

Uh... yeah. That, or her worst fears were proved correct. Mitch Daniels hadn't even decided whether to run, and we're climbing all over them with microscopes. And I remind you... "front edge of the storm". Had he announced a candidacy, the media - sharks already - would have been on her like sharks on steroids. Anyone running has to survive the press throughout the ugly primaries and the uglier general... before they have to be scrutinized like no others for four or eight years, with coverage of every move they make.

Not a comfortable situation for a private person. Which may describe Mitch Daniels as well. At the state GOP dinner, he said of running for President:

”My friends know it’s never been any intention of mine. I’d like to go to some quiet place where nobody could find me. Like Al Gore’s cable network."

He must be serious if he's considering hiding out with Gore.

Still, I respect and admire his decision... all the more because I suspect it wasn't an easy one, or one he'll ever stop hearing about. And while some might see this as a show of weakness, I disagree. This is a different kind of strength.

"Simply put, I find myself caught between two duties. I love my country; I love my family more."

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Cross-posted at Republican Redefined.