Jon Hunstman has a remarkable problem. That is, he once called President Obama “a remarkable leader” in a laudatory letter he wrote to the White House shortly after being appointed ambassador to China.
Now, as he runs for President, Hunstman’s come up with his strategy for getting out of what he said about Obama: Huntsman was really just talking about himself.
Watch Huntsman on Hannity:
Huntsman foes have already determined that the letter is a political liability for the former Utah governor. Obama and White House officials have had a field day talking up Huntsman’s time in the administration, tying the man who would be the top of the Republican ticket to the man Republicans seem to hate with every fiber of their being.
Democrats clearly think they have a hit on the their hands when it comes to Huntsman’s past Obama praise: A former DNC operative snapped up JonHuntsman.com weeks ago and turned it into a site devoted to the letter.
For his part, Huntsman has sought to clarify his comments in the opening days of his presidential bid: When I said Obama was remarkable, he now says, I said it because he appointed me to go to China.
Here’s what he told ABC’s Jonathan Karl on the day of his announcement:
“As he was beginning his administration, he appointed a Republican to a sensitive position,” Huntsman said. “I thought that was a pretty remarkable thing to do.”
And here’s what he told Fox News’ Sean Hannity last night:
“I wrote that after I was appointed,” Hunstman said. “I thought he was a remarkable leader for appointing a Republican to a position as important and sensitive as the U.S. ambassadorship to China.”
Of course, calling Obama remarkable is not something Huntsman would do again.
“No,” Huntsman said when Hannity asked him if he would call Obama “a remarkable leader” today. “I think he has failed in a number of ways both in terms of economic governance and stewardship and also internationally.”
Correction: This post originally misstated the owner of JonHuntsman.com. More on that site owner here.
