Jon Huntsman--Ambassador to China

As many of you probably already know, President Obama announced this morning his appointment of Utah Governor Jon Huntsman as ambassador to Utah. You can find out more about that appointment here:

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/16/utah-governor-to-become-ambassador-to-china/?hp

This is precisely the type of bipartisanship that the President promised us--and with this appointment, he is delivering (at least as much as he can insofar as the GOP is willing to co-operate. The appointment is of key importance for two reasons:

1. This is no mere symbolic gesture. China is the number two world power and arguably our greatest foreign policy challenge. Whoever serves in this post will have an enormous influence in shaping world affairs, and the U.S. role in them. Obama did not pick Huntsman just for the sake of picking a Republican. He doesn't have that luxury.

2. Huntsman has outstanding conservative credentials. He's the second-term governor of the most Republican state in the country. He was re-elected with the support of 77% of Utah voters. He is a strong fiscal conservative who has cut taxes substantially. Although he claims to favor making healthcare more widely available and affordable, he advocates doing so using free-market mechanisms such as tax cuts. You can learn more about Jon Huntsman's policies here:
http://www.utah.gov/governor/priorities/health_system_reform.html


Obama's choice of Huntsman demonstrates a continued strong desire on his part to work with Republicans. It also represents a willingness to look beyond his own party when filling important jobs He is a substantive pick for a substantive post, but he's no liberal masquerading as a conservative. His existence in the GOP, and his willingness to do it, should be consolation to Republicans wondering what has become of their party. If the GOP is to have a future, Huntsman represents the way forward. Of course, if Huntsman is confirmed it takes him out of the running in 2012, but I suspect that we will be seeing more of him in future election cycles. Whether we will also be seeing more of the Republican party, on the other hand, remains to be seen.