Presidential contender Sen. John McCain’s selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin created a firestorm of responses.Detractors say McCain’s selection is evidence of his “shoot-from-the-hip” mentality and an lighthearted view of the vice-presidency. Supporters argue McCain needs energy, history and an enthusiastic base.Either way, McCain’s selection reveals his priorities in a potential running mate, and it has left me asking one simple question: How close was Gov. Bobby Jindal to being selected as McCain’s running mate?It was a possibility I heartily disbelieved during the vice-presidential selection buzz. Given McCain’s surprising pick, it doesn’t seem these rumors were far from the mark. Let’s look at the priorities.Experience: Though Palin has her defenders, experience was not something McCain was particularly concerned about in a running mate — whether he really feels Palin has enough experience or not, he at least knew Palin would be criticized as lacking.And while Jindal shares the same potential weakness, he may have been an easier “experienced” sell for McCain. In former Gov. Mike Foster’s administration, Jindal served as Secretary of Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and served as Executive Director of the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare.Democrats own health care as a voting issue — and McCain, in particular, has been taking hard hits from his opponent, Sen. Barack Obama, on healthcare. In this volatile economic climate, having a “health care expert” as a running mate could give McCain credibility on a generally weak Republican issue — not to mention, Jindal also served in Congress. Electoral map: McCain didn’t seem too concerned with a “regional” running mate to help him gain electoral votes in a swing state. While Obama generally had stronger polling in Alaska — a traditionally red state — before Palin’s selection, it’s a state yielding only three electoral votes. There were other potential running mates like Minn. Gov. Tim Pawlenty and former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney who would have indicated a desire for a running mate with a specific regional appeal.Louisiana, like Alaska, is traditionally a red state, but Palin didn’t really bring anymore to the table in electoral votes than Jindal could have.Base appeal: There is no shortage of opinions on Palin, but the Christian conservative base couldn’t be happier. She’s pro-life, attractive, “folksy” and has a nuclear family. She’s the quintessential conservative.So too is our governor. In fact, conservative icons Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh publicly urged McCain to pick Jindal — Limbaugh has even compared Jindal to “The One” Ronald Reagan. Like Palin, Jindal also has the pro-life credentials and an interesting story to tell — he helped his wife deliver their third child. History: McCain clearly wanted a game-changer — not just some  vanilla, Romney-like politician. Palin adds history and youth. Jindal would have too.And don’t buy the spin that the McCain campaign was banking on using Palin to get these disaffected women that supported Sen. Hillary Clinton in the primaries — who, by the way, apparently shift their voting preferences in one, homogenous block. If any polling from any pollster is to be believed, Palin has not done that.And I bet the McCain camp’s top strategists were never fully invested in the idea anyway — it never made sense that Democratic women would jump ship to support McCain because he picked a pit bull with lipstick. Jindal would have added his own unique history to the ticket and to a party that has had some troubling problems in the past with racial issues. So, if Jindal was so great, why wasn’t he picked?I blame Hurricane Gustav.McCain announced his choice on Aug. 29. Hurricane Gustav formed Aug. 25, and by the 26th, Gustav clearly posed a threat to   Louisiana. The optics of Jindal leaving his state in its time of greatest need to campaign for the vice-presidency wouldn’t have looked great — in fact, it may have been devastating. Gustav committed Jindal to Louisiana, at least for the 2008 Presidential Election — no ifs, ands or buts about it. As a simple matter of timing, Jindal couldn’t have been the pick. But make no mistake — Jindal would have offered McCain everything Palin does, perhaps even a little better. And it’s not unusual for a presidential candidate to not get their first pick for a running mate. McCain also reportedly wanted Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman.In hindsight, though, Jindal may well have been at the top — or certainly near it — of McCain’s list.  Of course, speculation like this is often absurd — that we can talk about McCain’s vice-presidential priorities without mentioning “governance,” though, is also rather silly.   —-Contact Nate Monroe at [email protected]