The case for Jon Huntsman

Mickey Edwards writes, of the race's only real moderate:

Meet Jon Huntsman. In many ways, Huntsman is like Mitt Romney -- a businessman who has spent time in the public arena. But while Romney might meet the test of credibility as a potential president, Huntsman does, too, and has other advantages. For one thing, while every candidate will put forth a plan to stimulate hiring and strengthen the economy, Huntsman, alone among the announced Republican candidates, has a serious understanding of the lurking international challenges America faces. As Ambassador to China (no, he was not Barack Obama's ambassador, he was America's ambassador), Huntsman has seen first-hand the capacity of the Chinese, with their burgeoning economy, their aggressive outreach into Africa and Latin America, and their impressive military buildup. With new reports surfacing of Beijing's apparent willingness to allow Chinese arms manufacturers to provide weapons to Gaddafi loyalists in Libya, the need for a president who does not start from scratch in the international arena is crucial.

Although it might be considered foolish to rank candidates in order of preference, I'd be inclined to place Huntsman as my 'number two' GOP candidate, immediately behind Ron Paul. Although, in all honesty, it strikes me as odd that he's even running as a Republican: surely, given his somewhat liberal tendencies, it would be more suitable for him to run as a third party candidate – but, in spite of this, Huntsman maintains that he is a committed and steadfast Republican. Personally, I'm not entirely sure that this is the best strategy, assuming his goal is to become the next (or a future) president of the United States.

I'd really like to see Huntsman win the presidency, but there's no way that's happening in 2012 – or, for that matter, while he's still associated with an ideological entity of any kind.