Gov. Mitch Daniels (R., Ind.), the former head of the Office of Management and Budget under Pres. George W. Bush, knows a real freeze when he sees one. National Review Online caught up with deficit-hating governor to find out whether he thinks President Obama’s proposal is ice-solid or all wet.

“I take it that the White House is reading the election returns, so let’s be grateful for small favors,” says Daniels. “Let’s wait and see what they mean by ‘freeze,’ since it seems to be very partial, a first step in what has to be a long trip. If it moves forward, it ought to be at pre-stimulus levels, since freezing after a huge spending run-up is not exactly a victory for our economy.” Obama’s proposal, he adds, “doesn’t touch at the heart of the problem — the federal government’s automatic-spending.”

Daniels says that he’ll watch the president’s State of the Union address tonight to hear more details about the freeze, but admits that his “hopes aren’t high.” Out in the Hoosier State, he says, his constituents would like to “see an understanding from Washington that national policy must stop impeding job growth.” Such “wishful thinking is really a fantasy,” he sighs. “I’d love to see Congress start to align itself, quickly, with policies that provide incentive for private investment.”

Out-of-control spending is “absolutely a survival issue for this country, particularly after the last year,” says Daniels. “Spending ought to be at the center of our national debate, with everything that the federal government is doing. A nice start would be to have them do no harm for a little while, and enable us to pay our bills and incentivize growth.” Congress, he worries, “has proven to be structurally incapable of doing its fiscal duty.”

NRO had time for one last question: With Rep. Mike Pence (R., Ind.) deciding not to challenge Sen. Evan Bayh (D., Ind.), is Daniels interested in running? “No,” he says. “Legislative office has never appealed to me. It’s just not an interest of mine, and on top of that I feel a commitment to serving as governor.”