Jon Huntsman (R): Benghazi, Susan Rice Criticism Overblown

[Tx4obama]

Jon Huntsman: Benghazi, Susan Rice Criticism Overblown

WASHINGTON -- Former Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman on Monday urged lawmakers, including those in his own party, to temper their criticism of the administration's handling of the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Huntsman, who served as U.S. ambassador to China under President Barack Obama, said that it would have been nearly impossible for authorities to instantly obtain accurate intelligence about who was responsible for the September attack, which resulted in the death of four officials. Because of that, he said, recent criticism of U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice for not immediately declaring the attack an act of terror was either politically motivated or misplaced.

"The issue of Benghazi, I think you can attribute to the fog of war, more than anything else," Huntsman said in an interview with The Huffington Post. "When you're in a wartime setting and you have an attack like that -- let's face it. No one is prepared for an attack like that. There is, as Robert McNamara used to say, there is a fog of war. And it takes awhile to sort through the details. And it doesn't do a whole lot of good for the political class to point fingers before you even know what was behind it. And you're not going to know that [immediately]."

In offering up his assessment, Huntsman became the rare Republican to downplay the boiling controversy surrounding the matter. Rice went to Capitol Hill Tuesday to discuss her post-attack talking points with aggrieved Republican lawmakers. Early reaction suggested that she ran into a proverbial buzzsaw.

-snip-

Full article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/27/jon-huntsman-benghazi-susan-rice_n_2198698.html

[Turbineguy]

1. He'll never get through the next primary with that attitude.

[Cha]

2. Ya think?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021842536

Fucking republicons are after the President. End of story.

[elleng]

3. Making a play for '16?

Christie/Huntsman?
Bush/Huntsman?

[madinmaryland]

8. I don't see Christie succeeding in 2016. To run in the primaries based on running

a "successful" government backed recovery in New Jersey will be the death of his candidacy. I'm sure that Obama will assist in that happening, also!

[elleng]

9. Prolly right, but wondering if/when SOME sanity will inch its way back into repug minds.

[madinmaryland]

10. Hopefully, NEVER!!! Rand Paul has several tries ahead, as does Rick Santorum!!

The faces of the Republic Party!!

[hifiguy]

12. Probably not for another couple of election cycles

maybe more. The plutocrats have the money but the religulously insane/racist/bagger contingent has the numbers. Right now I'd make a small wager on Frothy or someone very much like him for 2016.

Huntsman would have been formidable. The WH was supposedly quite concerned about him. He's a sane, reasonable, rational adult, a believer in science, who was a successful governor and had meaningful international diplomatic experience. Which meant he never had a snowball's chance in hell with the Repig primary electorate.

[davidpdx]

4. The Republicans make Huntsman look sane.

[neffernin]

5. American politics

would be much better of the republican party was more like Huntsman, every time I've seen him hit the national stage he seems fairly grounded.

I don't mind if you think that trickle-down economics works, but I like hard proof and/or REAL statistical evidence to state your claim and hate claims made on faith or obviously biased/fake evidence.

Imagine it, a debate on the actual issues and instead of finger-pointing, people offer solutions! Hello college-level politics and goodbye middle-school politics!

[toby jo]

6. He's more of the old school republican

when there were actual debates that moved the country forward.

It'll be interesting to see with all of this collective changing of the right wing mind if maybe he'll last a little further into the election season next time around.

My money's on 'No'. Don't think they'll gravitate that far.

[neffernin]

7. Its all about the image

I mean, move to the right yet lets get Hispanics and women into the fold! I highly doubt any realistic change beyond possibly a new-age of trickery will come any time soon. 2000 was stolen in the courts, 2004 was stolen by tons of lies (people still listened to advertising), in 2008 they tried Sarah Palin for the female vote and in 2012 they tried a massive outpouring of ads and spending.

Hopefully we are in a new america where those involved in politics care about the country and not just themselves and their friends. If that is the case, sooner or later the R's will dissapear.

[duhneece]

11. To me, he is one of the few decent Republicans

I know of just one locally. That makes two out of a thousand decent R's imho.

[Filibuster Harry]

13. The Rs blew it by not making him the nominee. A former Governor who if you look at his

record is/was a true conservative. But he was singled out because he worked for President Obama.
Really. Mitt, if elected, was going to work with the Democrats but yet he chastised Jon Huntsman for working with a democratic president. So Mitt, in case the president asks you about a job position, make sure you turn him down.

[madrchsod]

14. obama will work with anyone who puts the country before party.

there`s been two republicans so far...ray lahood and huntsman.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

15. this man would have given Obama a run for his money if the Rs had the brains to nominate him.