If there’s one endorsement that will surely tip the scales on the Republican presidential candidacy, it’s surely that of an exorcist who failed at the race himself.

“Marco can unify our party,” said former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on Fox News on Friday. “I think he’s a principled conservative. I think he’s the right guy.”

Jindal, whose candidacy finally petered out into a small pile of wet embers last November, also said that Rubio is “consistent about strengthening America’s foreign policy,” and has “stood up to the threat of ISIS, radical Islam.”

It’s unclear why Rubio, who is currently closing in on Donald Trump in the polls in New Hampshire, would use the adjective “smart” to describe Bobby Jindal. Perhaps it’s Jindal’s history as an anti-science advocate of teaching creationism, his suggestion that his own party is stupid, and his incoherent, fume-induced rants about the dangers of homosexuality and tornadoes—but it seems to me that “smart” just isn’t the right word to use here.


Contact the author at melissa.cronin@gawker.com.