Obama to name Utah gov. (R) as ambassador to China

[tj2001]

SALT LAKE CITY – A Republican governor whose name has come up as a potential challenger to President Barack Obama in 2012 intends go to work for the president as ambassador to China, a source close to the governor said.

Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who is fluent in Mandarin Chinese from his days as a Mormon missionary in Taiwan, has accepted the appointment, said the source, who would speak only on condition of anonymity ahead of a White House announcement expected Saturday....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090516/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_utah_governor

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Is this another "Team of Rivals" thing?
Is there a shortage of Democrats who can speak Chinese?

[TwilightZone]

1. Sending a potential rival to China. Interesting campaign tactic.

:)

[traxster]

21. That is the first thing I thought when I heard the news. Definitely playing chess and not checkers.

[Thrill]

2. Getting him out of the running for Obama's reelection is a good thing

not to mention he's actually one of the few decent Republicans left

[blm]

10. People used to think Poppy Bush was a moderate Republican and praise his pragmatism.

Too few Americans know what a fascist overlord he has been for decades, and even many on this board are STILL clueless.

[laugle]

13. Nice to see you BLM........

I've been waiting for you to lead the charge for prosecutions of the previous administration regarding torture.

Tell me.........do you think justice will be done this time around or will it be politics as usual?

[blm]

17. I don't see any justice in the future - too many powerful Dems are embedded

with the BFEE and they have too much influence in the party.

[jefferson_dem]

3. POTUS introducing Huntsman LIVE NOW.

VIDEO - http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=1n&tag=watchnow

[LiberalFighter]

4. Viable challenger?

[FrenchieCat]

5. Huntsman appears to be damn qualified.....

Not that I'm up to critiquing every single move that this President makes,
including all of the Ambassadorships that he will appoint.

[IndianaGreen]

7. Fluent in Mandarin Chinese, adopted Chinese girl, missionary work in Taiwan

and he is a moderate Republican. That's the key! I think Obama is pursuing a strategy of making moderate Republicans welcome in his Administration, with considerable help from Rush Limbaugh. C'mon Colin Powell, come to the light.

[blm]

8. Huntsman is a GHWBush man. Of COURSE he'd get China gig, Poppy's fascist players always do.

ALWAYS.

Fucking sad country.

[IndianaGreen]

9. Bush 41 did not go to Baghdad

He was wise about that.

I agree with you on our subservient China policy.

[blm]

11. he didn't HAVE to....and he is STILL at the bottom line for everything happening today

including his fascist brat son and Cheney's overtures. He COULD HAVE STOPPED invasion of Iraq if he wanted to, but, both he and Bill Clinton stood BEHIND the dictatortot's every move every step of the way.

[IndianaGreen]

12. I only disagree with you on the Gulf War

I totally. agree with you on the rest. We will never know all that went on when Reagan sent Rumsfeld to meet Saddam.

[TexasObserver]

27. Taiwan. Not China, but its break away province.

So the guy is a Mormon missionary who spent time in Taiwan, which has a longstanding conflict with China over its separation from China, only the most important issue to the Chinese. That history does not serve him well in the PRC.

Obama is sending a Republican Christian Missionary with ties to Taiwan.

Dumb, dumb, dumb.

[LittleBlue]

20. Agreed. He's an R, but he does seem uniquely qualified

Unlike many of these ambassadorships that are handed out as political favors in the form of cushy jobs.

[blm]

32. he's uniquely qualified for China - Poppy Bush groomed him and the Chinese industrialists

who aligned themselves in the 70s with Bushes, Jackson Stephens and WalMart, will be ecstatic.

Follow BushInc's global fascist agenda.....Huntsman is one of HIS players.

[anonymous171]

6. Would you rather he pulled another democratic governor out of their position?

[LostinVA]

14. And a Mormon -- oh joy and thrills

:eyes:

[Cali_Democrat]

19. I don't think the Democratic Party should discriminate against people based on religion.

That's very narrow-minded thinking. I don't have a problem with him being Mormon, it's the Repuke part that has me upset.

[LostinVA]

22. I do, when that religion actively advocates for and funds revoking civil rights

Sorry, that's not being "narrow minded" at all.

[Cali_Democrat]

24. But should we hold every member of the Mormon church accountable for what their leaders do or say?

I don't think so.

The Vatican advocates against gay marriage, does that mean we should hold every Catholic accountable for what the Vatican says?

That's ridiculous.

[Occam Bandage]

26. Most religions, to some extent, do.

If we were to discriminate against all who belong to a religion possessing a leadership that is not in favor of full civil rights for all humanity, then it would mean that we ought discriminate against all Mormons, Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Muslims, most Protestants, and most Hindus. That is an unrealistic litmus test when we are considering positions that are unrelated to civil rights in the United States.

[boppers]

28. What religion doesn't advocate for revoking the civil rights of an outside group?

I can't think of one. Maybe UU, but I'm not sure they'd get behind defending the right of Nazi's to assemble...

edit: embarassing typo

[Sheepshank]

29. As it turns out....

....Huntsman was outspoken regarding equal rights for gay persons, and caught a bunch of crap for it too. It may even have threatened Utah politics for the man. The appointment was probably good for him too since his Utah political life was suddenly on the chopping block.

[LostinVA]

15. I'm sure there's a qualified Chinese-American Dem or two around

[TexasObserver]

16. If true, it's another reason to doubt where Obama has his head.

I'm worried about the President. He is beginning to seem less than the job we elected him to do.

[blm]

18. Unfortunately, too many Clintonites are back in power and servicing GHWBush and his cronies.

Of course, I doubt they ever stopped.

[Occam Bandage]

25. Why?

He's qualified, and Obama's just taken a potentially influential Republican with the capacity to lead a moderate reformation turning the party into a viable electoral force...and sent him halfway around the world, where he is absolutely incapable of affecting anything in the United States.

[ProSense]

23. Would be nice if Peter Corroon could run for the spot

He is currently the Mayor of Salt Lake County, Utah and Howard Dean's cousin.

On edit: Remembered his name from 2004

[Sheepshank]

30. really?

He seems more like a myopic, short sighted, bean counter, way out of his political depth. So busy trying to save two cents, he lost any vision of community advancements. For hell's sake, The South Towne Expo Center still doesn't have it's reader board sign (after 4 years), and the parking terrace has never materialized.

[ProSense]

34. Well, here is a good article

Corroon warily optimistic in his State of the County

By Arthur Raymond

Deseret News

Published: Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2009 12:53 a.m. MST

Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon started Tuesday delivering a message of guarded optimism in the first State of the County address of his second term and ended the day delivering a message of forthright thanks and celebration to the University of Utah Utes football team.

Corroon acknowledged the enormous fiscal challenges that will face the county in the year ahead and noted repeatedly that the key to managing the math of increasing expenses with shrinking revenues was innovation and frugality.

"We have to face the reality that we, as a government and a people, are facing one of the toughest tests in generations," Corroon said. "We face a daunting list of challenges, and yet I cannot help but feel a tremendous sense of hope as we enter 2009. With a new year, a new president, a new stimulus package to create jobs and a fresh start for all of us, I believe things are going to change for the better."

On a somewhat less sanguine note, Corroon highlighted programs critical to those county residents most in need of help. Some of those programs are ones that could be considered for sizable budget reductions in the upcoming legislative session.

"In 2008, with the skills, knowledge and experience of nearly 4,000 volunteers, Aging Services helped deliver over 126,000 meals-on-wheels to our frail, homebound seniors," Corroon said. "I mention this every year because the program is so important, but this year we face state budget cuts that may cut this program in half."

While state dollars may be waning, Corroon said the county will forge ahead on planning and construction on four new senior and community centers in Magna, Riverton, Draper and Millcreek as well as new libraries for Magna, Millcreek, Herriman and West Jordan.

Corroon also re-committed to efforts to "green" the county and cited energy savings achieved by solar installations on the roofs of the South Towne Expo Center and Salt Palace Convention Center that equate to the power needed to run 645 houses for a year. Last month, Corroon announced an ambitious plan to greatly increase the county's solar program and is working on a program to implement the plan at little cost to taxpayers.

Tuesday afternoon, Corroon presented a resolution to the council honoring the University of Utah Utes football team for a year of outstanding accomplishments, including a decisive Sugar Bowl victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide and contention, in the minds of many, for a national championship.

The resolution lauded the undefeated Utes for the "combination of planning, leadership and hard work combined for winning results, opening the minds of sports pundits, bowl operators, BCS voters, media pollsters and computer analysts."
Corroon presented four members of the team with an award marking the occasion, and members of the council expressed their congratulations on the team's winning season and nationally recognized success.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

31. This is a good choice

Firstly, it eliminates Huntsman as a potential rival for the 2012 presidential election. Huntsman probably wouldn't be able to win the Republican nomination in four years time anyway because he's too moderate and decent but, if by some chance he did, he is one of only two Republicans whom I believe would have a serious chance of defeating Obama. This will likely take his name out of contention

Secondly, Huntsman has a diplomatic background in and a deep knowledge of the Asia-Pacific region that goes significantly beyond professional requirements. He speaks fluent Mandarin (definitely an asset for his posting) and has served as a trade representative and a former Ambassador to Singapore. On a personal level, he also has an adopted daughter from China

President Obama is looking beyond partisanship and is appointing the best people to the various positions that need filling. I am proud of him

[Robeson]

35. It's also a shrewd political move...

...as stated in your first paragraph. Pretty hard for him to run against the Obama administration in 2012, when he would have been a part of it.

[DU GrovelBot]

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