Huntsman To China

Commentary By Ron Beasley

What do you do if you have a sane Republican who might challenge you in 2012?  If you are Barack Obama you exile him China. 

The news that Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. will be the ambassador to China for President Barack Obama almost certainly forecloses the possibility that he will be a candidate for national office in 2012.

Huntsman, who has deep experience in the far east, was clearly positioning himself for a national bid -- casting himself as a common sense conservative on issues like the environment and health care.

He had also begun to build a national consulting team that included John Weaver, a former senior strategist to Arizona Sen. John McCain. 

And what do you do if you are a sane Republican who doesn't think your party will be ready for your brand of sanity in 2012?  You pad your resume by accepting the appointment.  Huntsman apparently believes that the Republicans have at least eight more years in the wilderness.