I thought it was great news yesterday, when I read that Daniels may actually be considering a run for the Presidency. Earlier (at and event here in Chicago, actually) he stated that he wasn’t interested.

It’s good to hear he is reconsidering. Here is why.

Mitch Daniels’ Rules for Republicans

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has a few ideas – pretty good ones, actually – about how a Republican candidate should run a campaign for the presidency. But guess what? He says he doesn’t intend to run. “I don’t plan to do it, don’t expect to do it, and I really don’t want to do it.” Daniels says.

Daniels, however, has dropped his Shermanesque stance of refusing to consider a presidential bid. Instead, he told the Washington Post recently that he’s been persuaded to leave open the option of running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.

Daniels has two basic ideas for the next Republican presidential candidate. One, the candidate should have a plan for solving the spending, deficit and debt crisis that has “intellectual credibility” and “holds water.” This mean the candidate would “campaign to govern, not merely to win” on what Daniels calls a “survival” issue for the country.

The second idea: The candidate should “speak to Americans in a tone a voice that is unifying and friendly and therefore gives you a chance of unifying around some action.” In his campaigns for governor, Daniels never ran a single negative TV commercial attacking an opponent.

The article is short, and does not provide much information on policy, but Daniels is a policy heavyweight. He’s best shot, given the fewest negatives and the most positives. My second, and quite close, 2nd choice is Pawlenty.

The remaining wannabees are unelectable for one reason or another, and we ought not waste our time on them.