Huntsman: Obama was remarkable for appointing me

Jon Huntsman stuck to the demure script at during his presidential announcement in New Jersey, but he struck a decidedly harsher note a few minutes after it ended, in his pre-taped interview with Sean Hannity at Liberty State Park.

Courtesy of Mark Halperin, Huntsman said he called President Obama - in whose administration he served as the ambassador to China until a few months ago - a "remarkable leader" in a very specific context:

Advertisement "I think he has failed in a number of ways, both in terms of economic governance and stewardship and also internationally. I wrote that after I was appointed. I thought he was a remarkable leader for appointing a Republican to a position as important and sensitive as the U.S. ambassadorship to China. And listen, during a time of war and economic hardship, I'm the kind of person that's going to stand up and serve my country. I'm going to take that philosophy to my grave and I hope my sons do the same thing. It's something I've always believed in, in where you can get in and in a unique — and in a sensitive position, make your country a little bit better.”

He also said his gloves-on approach toward the other presidential hopefuls out of consideration for his children and the world:

“We're talking about how personal politics has become. Ripping down, tearing down, shredding down individuals. Sticking to the issue, sticking to the record is absolutely appropriate. But the reason I mention this is because I care what my kids are seeing, listening and hearing. They develop impressions and they develop approaches in terms of how they deal with their fellow Americans by what they see and hear. They take those attitudes into the classroom. And we wonder sometimes why our kids aren't showing authority figures proper deference and responsibility…I also care because the rest of the world is watching. The rest of the world cares about how we conduct our affairs because they then take that lead. We are the only leader in the world today. Some are wishing us well. Others think that we're down and are not going get back up again. But they're all watching with great interest to see how we conduct our business over the next couple of years.”



This article tagged under: Jon Huntsman