INSIDE GOP / Huntsman to China, 2012 Aspirations Fade

[Florian]

Huntsman to China, 2012 Aspirations Fade


Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman is likely out of the 2012 sweepstakes. Photo by Lucian Perkins of the Washington Post


The news that Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. will be the ambassador to China for President Barack Obama almost certainly forecloses the possibility that he will be a candidate for national office in 2012.

Huntsman, who has deep experience in the far east, was clearly positioning himself for a national bid -- casting himself as a common sense conservative on issues like the environment and health care.

He had also begun to build a national consulting team that included John Weaver, a former senior strategist to Arizona Sen. John McCain.

In an interview with the Fix last December, Huntsman urged bipartisan cooperation -- an early indicator, perhaps, of his willingness to sacrifice his governorship for a spot in a Democratic Administration.

"People work with people," said Huntsman. "Most Americans are fed up with the idea that partisanship has stood in the way of progress."

It's hard to imagine how Huntsman could pivot from a job within the Obama Administration to taking on the president in the space of three years. His decision to accept the China post then seems to come at the cost of his 2012 aspirations.

Huntsman may be looking at the long view politically, however. In 2016, he will have a resume steeped in domestic and foreign policy -- with a specialty in a region widely regarded as an emerging superpower. And, he'll only be 56 years old.

The Fix - Huntsman to China, 2012 Aspirations Fade

[Florian]

Negli ultimi giorni sembrava prendere consistenza la possibilità di una candidatura Repubblicana per Jon Huntsman alle Presidenziali del 2012. Adesso però, avendo accettato di fare l'ambasciatore in Cina per Obama si è definitivamente tolto dai giochi...

[Eric Draven]

decisamente sì,evidentemente ha preferito l'uovo oggi rispetto alla gallina domani....

[FalcoConservatore]

Negli ultimi giorni sembrava prendere consistenza la possibilità di una candidatura Repubblicana per Jon Huntsman alle Presidenziali del 2012. Adesso però, avendo accettato di fare l'ambasciatore in Cina per Obama si è definitivamente tolto dai giochi...

Non conosco questo Huntsman; mi pare strano che Obama scelga un Repubblicano per guidare i rapporti -ormai importantissimi- con la Cina. E' una cosa normale, una tradizione, o una novità? Obama ha voluto "liberarsi" di un possibile avversario?

[democratico]

è il più grosso esperto di relazioni internazionali con la cina e parla fluentemente cinese, poi il detto dividi et impera ha sempre la sua validità