Where’s John Thune?

I like John Thune. The South Dakota Republican certainly made a name for
himself several years ago by knocking off then-Majority Leader Tom
Daschle in what many saw as only the beginning for this tall, handsome
senator with a steely demeanor.

{mosads}But fast-forward a few years since his arrival in Washington, and it’s
safe to say Thune has been somewhat of a dud on the national stage. He
hasn’t led a legislative initiative of any national importance that I
can think of, and we all know there are plenty of issues he could try
and make his own.

The word on the street is Thune is a bit tentative: a measure-twice-cut-once kind of politician. In many instances, that quality is becoming, and certainly something that wouldn’t be held against him.

Yet put another way, Thune is seen as timid — perhaps too timid to take on the major, seemingly intractable issues that scream out for leadership these days. And it doesn’t bode well for a 2012 presidential cycle that will summon the best of whoever wins the GOP nomination.

Just last week, I was thumbing through a Capitol Hill publication, and there in the pages was a story about Senate Republicans pushing for fundamental tax reform. The picture accompanying the story showed National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (Texas), and back behind was Sen. Thune.

I thought to myself, “What a great topic to take directly to the American people, especially businesses — a natural constituency of the Republican Party.” Yet it was almost as if Thune was right where he wanted to be, never in the driver’s seat — always the passenger on national initiatives.

Thune’s handlers will say there’s plenty of time. John is right where he wants to be. I disagree. He’s had the better part of three to four years now to stake some new territory in his role on Capitol Hill, and yet he’s demurred. Always the settler, never the pioneer.

I return to how I opened this piece — I like John Thune. His CPAC speech over the weekend was promising, as he excoriated President Obama for his healthcare reform bill, among other liberal efforts. That sets the right tone, but more needs to be done. John Thune can be a formidable challenger to Barack Obama in 2012, but he has a lot of ground to make up.

Armstrong Williams is on Sirius/XM Power 169, 7-8 p.m. and 4-5 a.m., Monday through Friday. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/arightside, and follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/arightside.