I'd like to have written something about Mr. Ramaswamy, Nandkishor. He and Nikki Haley are representative of Indians who are injecting energy into America's society, economy, and politics. Yes, they're American-born. But they take pride in offering a mix of American and old-country values. (Mr. Ramaswamy's parents are Brahmins from Kerala. Mrs. Haley's are Sikhs from Amritsar.)

The problem is that Americans don't always know a good thing when they see it. An example is Republican voters in the Iowa Caucuses, which was the first contest between the Republican candidates to be the President of the U.S. The voters liked what they heard from Mr. Ramaswamy and Mrs. Haley. But many of the white evangelical Christians among them (they make up the majority of Republicans in our state of Iowa) couldn't get past the fact that Mr. Ramaswamy is a Hindu. That, and both candidates' skin tones.

As I said, I'd like to have written about Mr. Ramaswamy. But it would no longer be timely. He ended his candidacy last Tuesday. Perhaps I'll have another chance, if he re-appears on my country's radar.