Obama appoints Utah governor as new ambassador to China

Canuck_Buck · 05-17-2009, 10:23 AM

"I'm extraordinarily pleased to announce that Jon Huntsman would be our ambassador to China. And I cannot think of a more important assignment that is creating the kind of bridges between our two countries that would determine the well-being of not just Americans and Chinese but also the future of world,"

http://english.people.com.cn/90001/9...3/6659252.html

I hear China is about to buy up more of the US Debt...anyone else hear that ?

falcon · 05-17-2009, 11:30 AM

Huntsman was rumored to be a candidate for POTUS in 2012.

James B · 05-17-2009, 12:46 PM

It sounds like he is pretty much a expert on China. He should be well qualified.

jeepkid · 05-17-2009, 01:49 PM

Is he related to the Jon Huntsman of the Cancer Institute?

Yep, he's his son...he looks alright to me...

909bowsniper · 05-17-2009, 09:47 PM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: falcon

Huntsman was rumored to be a candidate for POTUS in 2012.

Slick move by BHO in order to keep him out of mainstream politics.

James B · 05-18-2009, 08:20 AM

On the other hand, this will give him even more real world political experience. Things are going to have to change big time if oasama plans to run again. He can't dazzle even the dumbest liberals for to long.[&:]

ipscshooter · 05-18-2009, 08:26 AM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: James B

On the other hand, this will give him even more real world political experience. Things are going to have to change big time if oasama plans to run again. He can't dazzle even the dumbest liberals for to long.[&:]

Don't be so sure. It's not terribly difficult to dazzle folks in his base. A couple slogans. A few shiny objects...

Lanse couche couche · 05-18-2009, 08:28 AM

What a novel concept to appoint an Ambassador who actually speaks the language of the country where he will be serving

Alsatian · 05-18-2009, 12:53 PM

I was about to disparage this choice, with the quip that we should have selected an overseas Chinese who has become a US citizen to this post -- and there are no doubt plenty of these walking around, many with one or two Ph'Ds -- but then I reflected that this might be walking into some serious divided loyalties issues. Well, good deal. We need some shrewd ambassadors in our asian embassies. We have been out manoeuvred for so many years in our trade negotiations in this quarter, largely because of fielding people without the suitable cultural background. If the guy knows the lanugage "fluently," the guy should also have good knowledge of the culture. And knowing how the asian cultures operate is key -- much different than how things work here and our expectations of things here.