President Obama has nominated 49-year-old Governor Jon Huntsman of Utah as US Ambassador to China. Ironically, he belongs to the Republican Party and co-chaired Senator John McCain’s presidential race against President Obama. Before the announcement, President Obama’s own 2008 campaign manager, David Plouffe, recently voiced concerns in national media that Huntsman should be feared the most as the Republican Party’s nominee for president in the forthcoming 2012 presidential campaign. Senator John McCain has mentioned his name as a potential candidate for the 2012 presidential election, when President Obama will be eligible to run for his second and final term.
Speaking at the White House, Governor Huntsman accepted President Obama’s nomination in the Diplomatic Reception Room by saying in Mandarin Chinese “Together we work, together we progress.” President Obama cited him as a “distinguished public servant.”