As the field of potential Republican 2012 contenders continues to thin out, simple math makes prospects brighten for anyone still around. Among those is of course Jon Huntsman Jr, former governor of Utah and Ambassador to China, a rising-star and comparative moderate widely assumed to be the Republican trickiest for Obama to handle -- if he could figure out how to become the Republican nominee.
As a favor to Huntsman and as a public service, I'll get on the record a video clip that I suspect his own campaign (if/when he declares) won't be rushing to publicize. It is Huntsman's nomination speech for Sarah Palin at the 2008 GOP convention.
Getting this into circulation is a magical double-duty favor. It's a favor for Huntsman within the party, as a reminder that he has been willing to advance the straight conservative line when duty calls. (He was McCain's national campaign chairman.) And it's a favor for him with the general electorate, because getting it out now means it will be tired old news by next year, rather than an embarrassing potential "surprise."
Huntsman sounds in this clip as if he had a terrible sore throat that day. I can imagine him thinking now -- or perhaps even, with prescience, back at the time -- "Hmmm, I wonder what it would take to lose my voice entirely before I have to go on stage?" It you watch even the first five seconds, you'll get the idea -- of his state-of-voice, and of the speech's tone. But it would be a shame to miss the 70 seconds that begin at time 0:50. Or, while I'm at it, the last minute or so, with the Big Finish. For whatever it signifies*, here is Jon Huntsman introducing the then-next-vice-president of the United States.
You're welcome!
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* On why no one can say what it signifies: another widely-ridiculed nomination speech was delivered at the 1988 Democratic convention, on behalf of Michael Dukakis. That speaker, another young governor, was practically laughed off the stage. He was of course Bill Clinton.
