Jon Huntsman, the former the U.S. Ambassador to China under the Obama administration, is currently in New Hampshire testing the waters for a presidential run on the Republican ticket. With relations between the U.S. and China becoming ever more important given Chinas extremely fast growing economy and increased trade between the two countries, I believe Mr. Huntsman is best qualified to run for the Republican party in 2012.
Although I'm personally a supporter of Obama, if I had to choose a Republican candidate, Hunstman would be my pick as the Republican challenger. The relevance of his job during the Obama administration is ever- increasing; fluent in Mandarin and maintaining close relationships with many high Chinese officials, Huntsman is best qualified for the position involving foreign policy. With increased dialogue and trust between China and the U.S, together they can achieve larger and more beneficial world goals. Relations with China had been worsened during the Obama administration, with the U.S. accusing China of fabricating the depreciation of their currency, differences in opinion involving the North/South Korea conflicts, and territorial disputes between China and other American allies. With Huntsman in office relations between the two countries would be mended and broader cooperation on the world stage could be achieved. This could involve many events, involving dealing with North Korea, sanctions against Iran, help in the war on terror, and other goals involving approval in the UN Security Council.
That's not to say I would support Huntsman as president; he is simply a Republican that stands out among many candidates that simply cannot be taken seriously at this time. Newt Gingrich, and Mitt Romney, and Tim Pawlenty are in my opinion the only other candidates that have a chance at the Republican ticket. Gingrich is already on his way to plundering his campaign. With a $250,000 account at Tiffany's Jewelry, he's already distancing himself from the average middle class voter, and with the disagreement with Paul Ryan's Republican healthcare plan alternative, he's distancing himself from his conservative base.
Mitt Romney also has contradictions in his past. With strong Republican support for the repeal of the healthcare legislation, Romney had, as Governor, implemented a strikingly similar piece of legislation in his home state, alienating his Republican base. Not only that, but he's a Republican who also supports gay marriage, gun control, and legalized abortion.
Pawlenty lacks the national name recognition and experience on the national stage, and his personal wealth could lead to his downfall. His only advantage is that he's governor of Iowa; the first state with a primary. This is a must win for him; if he loses this, he will simply not have the momentum, and more importantly the donations to continue. A risky run, in my opinion.
Many say part of Huntsman's weakness is the fact that he's been in China the past two years. I disagree; I believe this is one of his strengths, because time away from home equals time away from the microscope. There won't be a lot of obvious dirt to dig up about this man, at least from the past two years. Although only 2% of the public recognize his name, there's plenty of time for Huntsman to develop a positive image for himself, and that will be easy, given his personal wealth and network of connections. Although he worked for the Obama administration, this could alienate his Republican base; fortunately for him, he doesn't yet have a conservative base, and working for Obama could shed him in a favorable light among moderate republicans, independents, and even some democrats (although as of now it is still unclear what his plans for the economy are) who approve of Obama's foreign policies; and it just so happens the Iowa caucus is known for many independent voters. We should remember that few knew Obama back in 2008, and it was the Iowa caucuses that catapulted him into the spot light. I believe the Iowa caucus will be a close battle between Huntsman and Pawlenty.
Sources:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2011-05-22-Jon-Huntsman-campaign-president-obama-New-Hampshire_n.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/analysis-romney-is-the-man-to-catch-in-gop-field-but-others-have-time-to-make-their-case/2011/05/23/AFTbl09G_story_1.html
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