Coming from within the administration of the guy you aim to defeat was always going to be a steep hill to climb for Jon Huntsman. But things like this from The Daily Caller likely make Huntsman's task unwinnable.
But two handwritten letters from Huntsman obtained by The Daily Caller raise the question of why he’s not campaigning for Obama instead.The Daily Caller has the full text of these letters.
“You are a remarkable leader,” Huntsman wrote to Obama in an Aug. 16, 2009 note, underlining the word “remarkable,” “and it has been a great honor getting to know you.”
The letter thanks Obama for “the graciousness and kindness you have shown me and my family – particularly your confidence in my ability to represent you in China.” Huntsman said he was “leaving behind a state we love – but anticipating an extraordinary experience in Beijing.”
In an Aug. 10, 2009 letter to former President Bill Clinton, Huntsman was similarly effusive.
“I have enormous regard for your experience, sense of history and brilliant analysis of world events. Please save some time for me when I’m next in New York,” Huntsman said.
In that same letter, Huntsman, who plans to leave his post in Beijing April 30, had kind words for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as well.
“I must report that Sec. Clinton has won the hearts and minds of the State Dept. bureaucracy — no easy task. And after watching her in action, I can see why. She is well-read, hard working, personable and has even more charisma than her husband! It’s an honor to work with her,” Huntsman wrote. [Emphasis added]
To state the obvious, these letters can easily be pulled into attack ads against Huntsman by his Republican primary opponents. They can become the crux of negative sound bites hurled against him. And they are assessments which Huntsman will likely have to walk far, far away from when talking to GOP primary and caucus goers in early states. In essence, Huntsman will have to become Multiple Choice Mitt Romney if he wants to win.
On a less cynical note, while I don't doubt the problems that these letters will cause for Huntsman politically, it would be great if we lived in a political environment where honest, professional service for our country regardless of partisanship was viewed as a political asset and not a liability. These letters are only a problem because Huntsman's opponents - including potentially President Obama - are going to act cynically opportunistic, while Huntsman himself will undoubtedly betray the sentiments expressed in the letters when he begins to run against the Obama administration's performance during its first four years.