Jon Huntsman’s a new ad, “Country First,” attacks Mitt Romney for criticizing him for serving as Barack Obama’s ambassador to China. Here’s the transcript of Huntsman’s obviously well-rehearsed lines from Sunday’s debate, which are accompanied in the ad by melodramatic background music to show just how inspirational Huntsman is:
A lot of people were tuning in this morning. And I’m sure they’re terribly confused after watching all this political spin out here. I was criticized last night by Governor Romney for putting my country first, and I just want to remind the people here in New Hampshire and throughout the United States that I think, criticize me while he was out raising money, for serving my country in China – yes under a Democrat, like my two sons are doing in the United States Navy, that aren’t asking what political affiliation the president is. I wanna be very clear with the people here in New Hampshire and this country – I will always put my country first.
What a load of crap.
Let’s cut through the melodramatic background music and pseudo-patriotic pap and tell the truth: Mitt Romney did not criticize Huntsman for engaging in public service. He criticized how Huntsman chose to engage in such service. Specifically, he criticized Huntsman for choosing to serve in the administration of Barack Obama, .
The fact that a candidate for the Republican nomination was serving in the administration of one of the most radical leftist Democrat presidents in American history just last year is a legitimate issue for an opponent to raise. And for Jon Huntsman to state that Romney was unpatriotic for raising it – and was unpatriotic for not himself serving in that radical left administration – says a lot more about Jon Huntsman’s character than Mitt Romney’s.
And for Huntsman to compare his decision to take a lucrative political appointment from a radical leftist president with the non-political service of the members of our Armed Services, who literally put their lives in jeopardy every day to protect Huntsman’s right to spew this kind of nonsense, is disgraceful.
Until today, I thought Huntsman was one of the adults in this race. This ad proves otherwise.
