With Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee out of the way, the Republican establishment wants Mitch Daniels to jump into the presidential fray. But while the Indiana governor may be a consensus choice among insiders, he's viewed with suspicion by bedrock conservatives.

Daniels can claim close connections to the Bush family, having served as director of the Office of Management and Budget during George W. Bush's first term. Jeb Bush, according to the Florida Times-Union, told a private gathering of Jacksonville business leaders in February that "Mitch is the only one who sees the stark perils and will offer real detailed proposals."

This week, after removing himself from consideration, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour urged Daniels to enter the contest. Columnist George Will said this week that the only two viable GOP candidates are Daniels and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

A regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal's op-ed page, Daniels, 61, receives plaudits from the GOP business class for his fiscal policies in Indiana.

But the compliments are occasionally backhanded, accompanied by dismissive references to his short stature, balding pate and overall wonkishness.

"We're probably going to get a boring white guy, like Mitch Daniels," syndicated columnist Jonah Goldberg opined recently.

Beyond superficiality, a deeper look into Daniels' record raises concerns among conservatives.

Michael F. Cannon, writing in National Review, said that for all of Daniels' supposed fiscal bona fides, the governor has hurt himself on the health-care issue.

"Like Barack Obama, Daniels increased cigarette taxes to expand government-run health care. Whereas Obamacare requires states to open their Medicaid programs to families of four earning $31,000 (138 percent of the federal poverty level), Daniels expanded Indiana’s Medicaid program to families of four earning $44,000 (200 percent of poverty)," Cannon noted.

Though it's not quite Massachusetts' "Romneycare," Daniels' Health Indiana Plan (HIP), is fiscally unsound and pushes Indiana's higher Medicaid costs onto federal taxpayers.

"Every $1 Indiana spends on HIP triggers at least $2 of spending by the federal government; no matter what state you call home, you’re paying for Mitch Daniels’ government-run health-care plan," Cannon states.

Conservatives worry that Daniels is walking both sides of the street -- fighting Obamacare while looking for technocratic ways to make the program work.

While Indiana joined Florida and two dozen other states in challenging Obamacare, Daniels co-signed a letter with 20 other governors suggesting "improvements" in the federal program.


CONTROVERSIAL CALL FOR 'TRUCE' ON SOCIAL ISSUES

Where Daniels' supporters see pragmatism, others see political gamesmanship and muddled principles.

Daniels has fanned the flames by declaring that Republicans should "call a truce" in the fight over social issues, such as abortion and gay marriage. He poked conservative icons when he told CPAC attendees that the party needed to reach out beyond "Rush [Limbaugh] and Shawn [Hannity]."

Limbaugh curtly responded: "I'll disarm on social issues when the Democrats do."

Also perceived as soft on immigration, Daniels, whose paternal grandparents were Syrian, raised eyebrows when he was given the Arab-American Institute's 2011 Najeeb Halaby Award for Public Service. That set neo-cons and the influential Israel lobby chattering.

And there, again, were echoes from the Bush regime. In an all-but-forgotten twist of history, George W. Bush, with strategic guidance from Karl Rove and Grover Norquist, captured more Muslim support than Al Gore in the closely fought 2000 election. Bush's 46,200-vote edge over Gore among Muslims in Florida was more than enough to carry him to victory here.