Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. — Republican, as though there were any Democrats in Utah — has joined the Obama Administration as envoy to China.  Policy wise, I suspect he’s more than competent for what is probably the most important ambassodorial job.  But it pretty much puts the kibosh on his plans for running for the 2012 Republican Presidential nominee — who, incidentally, didn’t even make my list.

… in part because his words that the Republican Party “wasn’t there yet” in terms of having a policy message that works for the moment was quickly alienating his party base, and his suggestion that the social agenda, visa vie gay marriage especially, was not going to get the party anywhere was as well.

The conventional wisdom is that the Governor’s chair is not a seat anyone wants to be in right now for sheer political future-dom — the ails of the economy reverberate too strongly.  Janet Napolitano’s jump to the Obama cabinet in perticular seemed suited to avoid a heady and unpleasant near-term future as governor.

Huntsman seems to have judged his Republican party as “not there yet”, or not where he is at any rate, probably without any presidential fortunes to speak of for 2012 (even as Obama borrowed Carter’s forgotten phrase), and either thrown out his presidential aspirations or is biding his time for a different political environment.  But this begs the question for 2016:  has there ever been an opposition party member of a cabinet who has gone on to win the presidency?

Also, the next governor of Utah will probably be insane.  Seeing as they just plucked out the sane governor…

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