Boy, there’s a picture worth a thousand words! But I digress ...
First, I should note that Jon Huntsman Jr. may be sick. I read that he’s had some issues with melanoma and if that’s the reason he’s not in the political limelight these days I apologize in advance for the things I am about to say about him. If it’s just that he wants to stay away from the media circus and political meat grinder, I respect that and apologize again.
While you are still pondering your thousand words about the creepy photo, here’s another thousand to consider ...
In the midst of the most contentious relations between the U.S. and Russia in decades, now with the Ukraine controversy right in the middle, and all pretty much brought on and escalated by our president, Donald ‘Goldfinger‘ Trump, every foreign envoy, diplomat, ambassador, former ambassador, National Security Council advisor, political appointee, oligarch and Rudy Giuliani is either running for the hills, abandoning ship, being blocked from testifying, vehemently testifying or lying through his teeth. So, where’s Jon Huntsman in all this?
Jon Huntsman has been the U.S. Ambassador to Russia since 2017 and I don’t think I’ve heard his name mentioned once in all that time. Whenever a U.S. Ambassador to Russia is interviewed as a political pundit you usually see Michael McFaul taking the questions. McFaul was Ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014 under President Obama.
So, why no Jon Huntsman? Is he camera shy? Timid? Not a talker? Has no opinion or observations to offer? Behind the eight ball? Somehow compromised? Maybe he's just a behind-the-scenes guy and that's okay with me ...as long as he is effective.
President Trump once slammed John Huntsman as being “weak” and a “lightweight” and accused him of “giving away our country to China” when Huntsman was the U.S. Ambassador there under President Obama. However, in 2017 Trump appointed Huntsman Ambassador to Russia. He was our ambassador there for two years. Who knew? Huntsman just resigned that position after what apparently was a directive to Trump from Russian president Vladimir Putin. So, Putin didn’t like Huntsman? He wouldn’t play ball with Putin? Huntsman despised Putin’s regime and was beside himself to speak out? Or was Huntsman afraid he’d be found belly-up in the Volga? We’d like to know ...
...because now Huntsman wants to be governor of Utah, again, and character is important.
Marie Yovanovitch has been the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine since 2016. She is a career diplomat and member of the senior ranks of the U.S. Foreign Service, and by all accounts from her colleagues and anyone who knows her or has had dealing with her she is a stand-up woman. She was just fired by Trump (President Goldfinger) for not ‘playing ball‘ and apparently for just getting in the way regarding the current Trump/Ukraine shakedown. Trump was trying to extort the newly elected Ukraine president, Volodmyr Zelensky, for political dirt on Joe Biden in a quid pro quo for military aid to Ukraine. (I always wanted to use that term ..‘quid pro quo‘ ..means ‘you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours’).
Yovanovitch recently testified on Capitol Hill, “vehemently”, courageously, about the corruption in the U.S. government, and specifically about the shenanigans with Goldfinger Trump and Giuliani & company at the center of it all in Ukraine, with Putin in the wings. It just goes on and on with Syria, Turkey, Iran, China all in the mix, in the mud, and in the crosshairs. Yovanovitch stood and delivered and did what she had to do. She didn’t duck any punches and took it on the chin. She told the truth. Called it like she saw it. She exposed corruption. Stand-up woman.
So, where was Jon Huntsman in all of this? He quit where others stood and delivered. He came home to ‘spend more time with his family‘ when others stood and delivered for their country. That’s what it looks like, cut and run, not good, and perception is reality in politics ...until reality brings you down.
Maybe I’m being unfair to Huntsman and I have him all wrong. Maybe I’m misjudging his mettle. Maybe I’m not informed ...not paying attention.
Huntsman is described as a businessman, politician and diplomat. Hmmm ...potential fodder for “weak” and “lightweight” ...but wait, let’s give him the benefit of the doubt. He’s the son of Jon Meade Huntsman Sr. (1937-2018) who was a businessman and philanthropist. Huntsman Sr. founded the Huntsman Chemical Corporation, a global manufacturer of specialty chemicals. Huntsman plastics are used in a wide variety of familiar products including clamshell containers for McDonald’s hamburgers. Huntsman Corporation also manufacturers a variety of chemicals that include polyurethanes, textiles, and pigments. All forgiven, because Huntsman’s philanthropic giving exceeds $1.5 billion focusing on cancer research programs at various universities, and, aid to Armenia which just happens to be right smack dab in the middle of the troubled areas mentioned above ...the Caucasus countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ian, Russia, Turkey. (‘smack dab’ ...always wanted to use that term also ..means ‘exactly’, ’precisely’).
Huntsman Sr. also founded the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City with a pledge of $100 million of his own money. Now, that's a stand-up guy.
Hopefully, ‘like father like son’, but we just don’t know. We need to hear from Jon Jr., or hear about him. Apparently, he has a good track record as a politico executive, but if he wants to do some good in this world we need to hear from him. He needs to be a TV star, yet appear less ...pampered. Last I saw of him he was trying. It was when he was running for president in 2012, though I don’t think he had a good media advisor or campaign manager. They tried to push him as ‘regular guy‘ and that never works. The photo of Huntsman in a leather jacket on a motorcycle was ridiculous and turned off a lot of people. Huntsman subsequently quit his campaign and endorsed Mitt Romney, another flimsy, questionable, Utah politician with a track record of putting his foot in his mouth and flip-flopping on most important issues.
Both Mitt and Huntsman seem to be cut from the same cloth. Different but oddly similar to ‘Goldfinger Trump’. No rags to riches story there. Their fathers before them forged the way for their white glove, white collar political proclivities. I’m just not sure either one of them is up to the job, and America can’t afford another disappointing, ineffective political patsy running our show ...local, state or national ...Republican or Democrat.
John Kushma is a communication consultant and lives in Logan, Utah
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-george-kushma-379a5762
Some past articles and op-eds
https://muckrack.com/john-kushma/articles
