Indiana's Mitch Daniels also in mind

From Eric Dondero:

Interesting article from the Daily Caller, "Ron Paul says GOP will be more open to libertarian-minded nominee in 2012." Paul demures when asked if he'd run. But makes some news with a plug for Gary Johnson.

Asked to name other potential presidential candidates he could support, Paul replied, “I guess the best one would be Johnson from New Mexico — Gary Johnson.”

Johnson, an ultra-marathon runner who was governor from 1995 to 2003 and endorsed Paul in 2008, is beloved by libertarians for his many vetoes and privatizations while in office, and for championing school choice and drug decriminalization.

The article also cites "Paul’s son Rand Paul in Kentucky and Sharron Angle in Nevada" as the top "libertarian-Republican" candidates for 2010.

But it's in the following paragraphs, quoting of Cato Institute Vice-President David Boaz, that might be the most newsworthy. Boaz, normally a cynic of libertarian efforts in the GOP, goes out of his way to highlight New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels.

The Big Man most able to attract "libertarian" support

From the Daily Caller, June 22:

David Boaz, the executive vice president of the libertarian Cato Institute, said that while he thinks the 2010 elections will sweep in some more libertarian-minded Republicans in Congress and the governor’s mansions, he’s less optimistic about such a candidate being nominated by Republicans in 2012.

“You can’t nominate just anybody, you have to nominate somebody,” Boaz said. “And plausible libertarian-minded candidates are hard to find. Ron Paul may make some noise, and may run, but House members don’t get nominated for president. Gary Johnson has a great libertarian record, but he doesn’t yet have much national recognition.”

Boaz did say that “a governor with a good record, like Mitch Daniels or Chris Christie, might be a candidate who could attract support from conservatives, libertarians, and independents,” if they could get around Romney.

A sign perhaps, that "culturally liberal" and stridently leftwing/non-interventionist on foreign policy Cato, is tiring of Obama-ism, and might be opening up to a more right-leaning libertarian approach?