NEW YORK (AP):

Insane! Childish! Disaster!

And those were some of the kinder comments from political pundits about Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, the first Indian-American governor, and his response to President Barack Obama's speech to Congress on Tuesday night.

Republican rising star

Jindal, 37, a Rhodes scholar and son of Indian immigrants, is considered a rising star in Republican ranks and a likely 2012 presidential candidate. Republican leaders, looking for a fresh face for the party's image, tapped Jindal earlier this month for the high-profile task of rebutting Obama's first address to a joint session of Congress.

But, in both style and substance, Jindal's speech has drawn flak from Republicans and Democrats alike.

His criticism of government spending for emergency economic relief has been widely panned, especially given his state's receipt of billions in federal assistance after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005. And Jindal's voice and earnest, awkward delivery have drawn comparisons to Kenneth Parcell, the geeky Southern page on the NBC comedy 30 Rock.

Indeed, a new Facebook group titled 'Bobby Jindal is Kenneth the Page' had already attracted more than 1,800 members yesterday afternoon.

David Brooks, a conservative New York Times columnist who has criticised aspects of Obama's stimulus plan, nonetheless called Jindal's arguments "insane" and tone-deaf given the dire economic challenges the country faces.

To be sure, Jindal had a tough act to follow in Obama, a naturally gifted orator whose argument for vast federal intervention to stem the nation's economic crisis was widely praised. A CNN poll taken after his speech found 92 per cent of viewers had a positive reaction to it.

Strong message

Jindal was headed to Disney World on Wednesday with his family for a vacation, but his chief of staff, Timmy Teepell, said his boss had prepared carefully for the speech and that his message was strong.

"It's a challenge for anybody to follow Obama. The guy is one of the most gifted speakers of our generation," Teepell said.