President Obama has appointed Jon Huntsman, governor of Utah, as ambassador to China. This is interesting on several fronts, to wit:
1. Never in my memory has a governor, particularly one with a national reputation as has Huntsman, left the office for a diplomatic posting. Particularly for a president from the opposition party.
2. Huntsman earned his national reputation for supporting civil unions for same-sex couples and for supporting government action on climate change. This is unusual for any Republican, much less one who represents one of the most conservative states in the US. This willingness to offer reform has led David Plouffe, the architect of Obama’s presidential election victory, to deem Huntsman the most formidable potential challenger to Obama in 2012.
3. Huntsman seems well-qualified for the job. He speaks Mandarin as a result of a Mormon mission he did in Taiwan. He served as an ambassador under both President Bush 41 and President Bush 43.
4. By appointing a Republican to be the China ambassador, he sends a signal to US watchers here that constructive engagement with the Middle Kingdom is a bipartisan issue.
By all accounts, a masterstroke by Obama. It is a little puzzling, though, why Huntsman took the job. Being the governor of a state is far more prestigious than being an ambassador, and working for Obama probably excludes him from challenging the president at any time. Huntsman is apparently motivated by a sense of duty, though most politicians get where they are by worshiping their own career prospects, not the wishes of a president they didn’t support.
Comments 3
Could it be that they both have longer term plans? I mean, just a couple of random thots:
Posted 18 May 2009 at 6:52 pm ¶1: Is Huntsman looking beyond 2012, perhaps? A longer-term strategy?
2: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Appointing a potential threat ambassador, thereby bringing him into the fold and taking him out of contention for 2012 perhaps makes Obama’s position a little safer?
3: Are either men chess players? because you sure make them look like they are….
I would argue that the ambassador to China may not be that far down the ladder in the political spectrum from Utah governor. It seems like the political clout of governors is more or less dictated by the population of a state, and Utah is fairly sparsely populated. And while the ambassador to China may not be a Cabinet-level position, it is obviously one of great importance, and may be more important in the coming decade.
Posted 18 May 2009 at 10:23 pm ¶I’m glad that Jon Huntsman decided to take this post. It’s incredibly important that “Our Man in Beijing” understand China with the cultural competency that Huntsman likely has. I also like Obama’s choice of Huntsman because he seems to be a bit of a pragmatist, or at least willing to strike a middle ground in heated ideological arguments. Obama probably picked him because they think alike…
Posted 24 May 2009 at 1:10 am ¶Post a Comment