Huntsman Deserves Respect For His Service...Not Criticism

This past weekend’s debates were advertised as must see TV.  The pundits were all frothing over the anticipated attack that a seething Newt Gingrich would wage against Mitt Romney.  We are not sure what any of this has to do with being qualified to be President, but there it is.  At any rate we tuned in to see the show.

Saturday night’s ABC debate was a snooze fest.  There was very little said to or about Romney that had not been said before. 

Sunday morning’s Meet the Press debate provided some of the better lines.  Newt’s chastisement of Mitt for his false reasoning for deciding not to seek a second term as Massachusetts governor; Newt called it “pious baloney”; was pretty good.  And a couple of the other candidates who had shied away from attacking the presumptive front runner took some shots...or was that Saturday night.  In the end it was all “much ado about nothing. 

Rick Santorum failed to take advantage of his Iowa victory.  Shouting down 17 year old girls who can’t even vote because he didn’t like their question won’t help.  Jon Huntsman, who we have said for months gives Republicans the best chance to defeat the President, made some big strides and could place a distant second.  He is gaining in the polls. But Huntsman has lived in New Hampshire for weeks and has exhausted most of his funds.  So unless Jon Huntsman senior feels his son’s showing in New Hampshire warrants a $50 million dollar donation to sustain junior’s campaign; Huntsman’s days may be numbered.  In the end Romney will win New Hampshire by a comfortable margin and head to South Carolina with a real chance of securing the nomination very early in the campaign.

There was one moment during the debate that for us was perhaps the most poignant moment in the campaign.

Romney took a shot at Huntsman for serving as Obama’s ambassador to China.  Romney said it was inappropriate for the Republican nominee to be someone who said that the President demonstrated great leadership skills and who served as ambassador for a Democratic president.  Huntsman responded: “this country is divided, and it is divided because of attitudes like that.”

Governor Huntsman is correct.  If you try to express yourself as a solutions oriented individual, willing to listen to and consider both sides of an argument, you are attacked by the extremists on the left and the right.  It is this ideological food fight that has caused gridlock in this country and driven us to these depths.

Governor Huntsman was asked by the President of the United States to serve his country.  Governor Huntsman put his politics aside and served his country well.  He should be applauded for his efforts and thanked for his service; not vilified for political gain.