Pres. Obama Appoints Gov. Huntsman as Ambassador to China?

15 May 2009 @ 8:56 pm | 4 comments

KUTV was reporting this earlier in wishy-washy terms. But now everyone is confirming that Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. is expected to be named by President Barack Obama as the U.S. Ambassador to China. Probably to be announced tomorrow.

The appointment of Huntsman would mean that Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert would take over as the state’s chief executive. A special election for the governor’s office would be held in 2010, under a new state constitutional amendment.

Huntsman, a Republican, met late last year with representatives of the Democratic president’s administration about a possible appointment.

The governor has served as U.S. ambassador to Singapore, and was on a short list to fill the same role in China under President George W. Bush. Huntsman speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese and led a Utah trade mission to China during his first term.

I was skeptical as it it seemed like an odd move for someone so widely touted for a 2012 run, and even considered by Obama insiders as his top threat for reelection.

Could this be a move by Obama to keep his rivals close, รก la putting Hillary Clinton into the State Department? Perhaps Huntsman has reconsidered his 2012 ambitions with a 2016 run looking more prudent than an Obama challenge. Either way, doesn’t going from a governor to an ambassador seem like a strange move for someone with future ambitions? Even if its China.

(As my father works for Gov. Huntsman, I haven’t commented on him much but I thought this was particularly noteworthy (also the reason for my anal retentive online use of my middle initial as we share first names). Incidentally, my Dad is the blurry face behind the governor in the third photo for this article. )

(Possibly) Related posts:

  1. Ambassador Huntsman Probably Won’t be a Super Missionary
  2. Pres. Obama nominates Special Envoy for North Korea
  3. Pres. Obama picks BYU Prof Echohawk





  1. Christopher’s avatar

    Christopher on 15 May 2009 at 11:46 pm

    Seems like a smart move by both Obama and Huntsman. On Obama’s part, it is a smart political move because it furthers his promises of bipartisanship with an appointment that in actuality has little to do with party ideologies. Furthermore, it seems that there are few persons (if any) better qualified for the position than Huntsman. If he succeeds, it makes Obama look good.

    On Huntsman’s end, it gives him something to do politically for the next few years, drawing more national attention as he plans his own presidential ambitions. My guess is that he sees 2016 as the more likely opportunity. He can ride out the current identity crisis the GOP finds itself in, probably assuming that the conservative base will get their candidate once more in 2012, and when he or she loses to Obama, the party will moderate (which Huntsman, of course, has been calling for the last year or so).

    Regarding the notion that an ambassadorship is a step down from governor: that could be the case generally, but certainly isn’t here. Huntsman has been successful as a governor of a fairly isolated and culturally-homogenous small state. He has done little to prove himself on a larger stage. This gives him that opportunity. And China is no small appointment. In fact, if he can help trade relations between the U.S. and China improve over the next few years, not only will he regularly receive national attention, but might position himself for a prime cabinet position in Obama’s 2nd term.

  2. Dan’s avatar

    Dan on 16 May 2009 at 5:48 am

    I’m with Christopher. This is a good move on both Obama and Huntsman. Sheesh, the Republican party needs some good guys like Huntsman around, and him succeeding with China will be very rewarding for him in 2016, if the base of the Republican party chills out by then (highly unlikely). Think about it, Huntsman was supposedly rejected at some Republican shindig because he was too moderate! The Republican governor of the reddest state in the Union was rejected by the Republican base!

    Anyways, good move on Obama.

  3. Chris H.’s avatar

    Chris H. on 16 May 2009 at 8:26 am

    I think this signals that he is not interested in the partisan games that are require of one running for president. Not everyone who would make a good president really has the drive to become president. That is not a bad thing. He is setting himself up to be a senior statesman. Not a bad position to be in.

    Dan,
    Given that Huntsman is Gov. of Utah, I think that he has good experience dealing with the right-wing of the party.

  4. David B’s avatar

    David B on 16 May 2009 at 7:49 pm

    Chime with Christopher and Dan (including the claim that this isn’t a step down–yeah, going from governor to ambassador to Mali would be a step down, but ambassador to the PRC is a Big Deal).

    I do think that it’s a marginally better strategic move by Obama–Huntsman has to accept a position in the opposite party’s administration for this to happen, and there are small but attention-getting wings of both parties who find such things treasonous. If Huntsman were to be nominated in 2016 (and i agree 2016 is more likely than 2012) and gets a little bloodied in the primaries, that only helps whoever’s from Obama’s party.

    And yes, these sorts of calculations go into these things. I haven’t decided whether that’s very, very good or very, very bad, but i figure it’s one of the two.