A rising star in the party, Jindal was a Bush Administration policy expert before becoming a Congressman from Louisiana and then the state's governor. The Indian-American Rhodes scholar would give the ticket a minority face while boosting its social-conservative credibility and help secure the backing of important right-wing public figures like Rush Limbaugh and Grover Norquist. But at 37, he might highlight McCain's age, and he's more understated than traditional attack-dog running mates have been.
by Massimo Calabresi, with reporting by James Downie/Washington