Saturday, January 19, 2013

Jon Huntsman, sort of up close…



Yesterday I helped celebrate Benjamin Franklin's birthday in Philadelphia. It was a genteelly respectful affair, but if you're the kind of person of wouldn't mind having the opportunity to give a lusty "Huzzah!" for old Ben, in fact three "Huzzahs," mind you, then you can understand that there were thrill-seekers like me lurking in the crowd at his grave site in Christ Church Burial Ground.

The affair involves some pomp at luncheon: we gave the Benjamin Franklin Founder Bowl to former Utah Gov. Jon M. Huntsman Jr..

Now, full disclosure, I voted for President Obama a second time last November, so thrill-seeking wasn't my motive in being eager to get a look at Huntsman.

Yet, I'm bound to say, the man repeatedly gives the impression of being a decent human being who has informed and reflective thoughts on the mission and values of America on the complex and dangerous world stage….it seems he would not be comfortable wrapping the chains of political dogma around his body, and dragging them around with loud clanking noises…

That is to say, Huntsman obviously was the odd man out in the Republican debates last year, and I think that's a profoundly complimentary description. When it comes to self-serving bluster and being in thrall to blindly destructive partisan aims, Huntsman apparently has much less to offer than most of our current celebrity Republicans….

Let's not forget about him, at least let's remember that Huntsman may have another point of view worth consideration….




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