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Utah GOP governor is Obama's pick as China envoy
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama reached across the political divide Saturday and named Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, a possible GOP White House contender and top John McCain supporter, to the sensitive diplomatic post of U.S. ambassador to China.

With the selection, Obama may have sidelined a potentially formidable moderate Republican from the 2012 presidential field. For Huntsman, it's a chance to burnish his credentials and position himself as a viable hopeful — perhaps for 2016 if Obama is seen as a strong candidate for a second term in 2012.
I didn't see a Utah governor being a front-runner in 2012 ...
Fluent in Mandarin Chinese from his days as a Mormon missionary in Taiwan, the 49-year-old Huntsman is a popular two-term governor who served in both Bush administrations and was national co-chairman of Arizona Sen. McCain's campaign against Obama last year. Huntsman has made a name for himself advocating a moderate agenda in one of the nation's most conservative states.

With Huntsman at his side, Obama said in brief remarks in the White House Diplomatic Reception Room that he made the appointment "mindful of its extraordinary significance. Given the breadth of issues at stake in our relationship with China, this ambassadorship is as important as any in the world because the United States will best be able to deal effectively with global challenges in the 21st century by working in concert with China."

Huntsman recently made headlines for encouraging his party to swing in a more moderate direction if it wants to bounce back from the 2008 elections, angering some conservatives.

"I knew that because Jon is not only a Republican, but a Republican who co-chaired my opponent's campaign for the presidency this wouldn't be the easiest decision to explain to some members of his party," Obama said. "But here is what I also know: I know Jon is the kind of leader who always puts country ahead of party."

Huntsman said he never expected "to be called into action by the person who beat us. But I grew up understanding that the most basic responsibility one has is service to country. When the president of the United States asks you to step up and serve in a capacity like this, that to me is the end of the conversation and the beginning of the obligation to rise to the challenge. I stand here in my final term as governor with plenty to do. I wasn't looking for a new job in life, but a call from the president changed that."
He's a good choice for the position, and if he's tired of being governor, let him go to China. His bio suggests that he has a bit of wandering in his soul.
Huntsman ended his remarks with his favorite Chinese saying, speaking in Mandarin: "Together we work, together we progress."
Posted by: Steve White 2009-05-17
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=269921