Obama to name Huntsman ambassador to China

[pbrower2a]

Good choice.

(And smart move on his part, avoiding 2012 at least; like it or not, the economy will have recovered by then, and Obama will largely be credited with it (deservedly or not!))

It says much about Barack Obama: put potential  rivals who have great competence in difficult positions (Ambassador to China is as tough a job as there is) where they can do more good for hum than they can do harm as rivals.

[pbrower2a]

Huntsman may well have a fine period as ambassador during 3 years and come back to run in the GOP primaries, with an interesting international experience, maybe with a speech on defending poor American workers against Chinese industries.

As a governor with a high approval rating, he'll quit at the right moment and will be remembered as a good executive.

Can you have a better profile in 2012 ?

More relevant in 2016, though. The 2012 Presidential election looks like a longshot for any Republican unless something goes wrong with a ticker or someone does a John Wilkes Booth.

[pbrower2a]

No, Obama did not name Huntsman Ambassador to China to remove him as a potential competitor in 2012.

Anyone who looks at Huntsman's qualifications will realize that he is supremely qualified to be Ambassador to China.

He speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese, has had trade experience in government, has had executive government leadership in the capacity of Governor, and is a proven organizer and leader.

Major qualifications indeed! Not many Americans not of Chinese origin speak fluent Mandarin, and I'm not sure that I would trust a native speaker of Chinese as Ambassador to China (the Foreign Ministry would play the nuance game with such a person.

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In a huge departure from his predecessor, Obama shows that he does not need flunkies in the most important jobs in the US government. Huntsman will absolutely not be a flunky. I can't imagine a more important diplomatic post.

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Indeed. I don't think that any sensible person wants 2012 to be a good year for a Republican nominee for President. We have drifted into dangerous times because of the economy alone, and we aren't going to drift out of dangerous times. A Republican winning the Presidency in 2012 indicates not so much the rise of a supremely-talented and relevant Republican nominee as it does a catastrophic failure by Barack Obama.

If Obama creates a strong GOP candidate for the Presidency in 2016 in Jon Huntsman, then so be it. We might need a strong Republican nominee for President in 2016.

[pbrower2a]

Anyway, this should silence the Huntsman!!!! talk.

But not the Huntsman 2016 talk!

Obama may be creating a strong GOP candidate for the Presidential race of 2016 -- not what a  partisan hack would do, but instead what one might do if one were more concerned about ensuring the validity of the opposition within a democracy.