Stan Hunstman Will Be President...Someday.

The more I learn about Stan Huntsman, the more I like him. He is the kind of Republican a moderate Democrat like me could seriously consider voting for. He is smart, affable and has leadership and diplomatic experience. He has been taking positions currently unpopular within his party, but in the areas where public opinion is moving to (gay rights, climate control and market-based health care reform). He is young (turns 51 this month) and having been ambassador to China and being a fluent speaker of Mandarin, he is ready for the future as it evolves toward a point where someone like Huntsman would have a significant advantage in dealing with the realities of international politics.

But 2012 may not be the time.

If somehow he was able to get the Republican nod, he would be as formidable a challenger as the Republicans can put forward against a strong candidacy by President Obama. If the economy stagnates or falters again, Huntsman would have an outstanding chance to collect enough independent votes to win the electoral college.

However, winning the Republican nomination in the current climate is quite a challenge. He is sooo moderate (almost liberal in fact), that it is difficult to imagine him being in the top 3 vote-getters in Iowa, South Carolina, Nevada and other early, particularly conservative Republican state primaries/caucuses. He has a somewhat more amenable voter climate in New Hampshire, but 1 spot is already reserved at the top for Mitt Romney and another will be taken by whatever conservative candidate ran strongest in Iowa. If he can hang in for a while (and his family financial resources may allow that to happen), he might be able to win some of the middle and later races and become the party favorite.

But make no mistake about it, there is a better than even chance that at some point in time, there will be a President Huntsman. He may just need to wait until the Republican Party decides they want to put forward the candidate with the best chance to win the general election.