Huntsman, Herbert are Utah's political odd couple

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and his lieutenant governor, Gary Herbert, are starting to be viewed as something of a political odd couple. Huntsman is quickly developing a national reputation as a Republican moderate with presidential ambitions, while Herbert remains a traditional Utah conservative who will seek the 2012 GOP gubernatorial nomination. This raises some intriguing questions:

How are Huntsman and Herbert different in their positions on issues and ideological outlooks?

There are a number of differences, both in tone and substance. For example, Huntsman supports civil unions for gay couples, while Herbert does not. Huntsman is quite moderate on environmental issues, signing on to the Western Climate Initiative cap-and-trade proposals to reduce carbon emissions. Herbert attends meetings with traditional energy developers and expresses strong support for carbon-based energy sources. He isn't jumping on the global warming bandwagon. Herbert recently attended a planning meeting of the Utah Public Lands Multiple Use Coalition, which intends to ignite a second "Sagebrush Rebellion" to "take back Utah" from federal bureaucrats. In interviews with the national news media, Huntsman criticizes congressional conservatives in Washington as out-of-touch. Herbert is much more respectful of party elders, and he attends and speaks at most county Republican conventions, where he tosses out conservative red meat to the delegates. Huntsman supported John McCain. Herbert supported Mitt Romney.

With those rather stark differences, they must have some very interesting private meetings. Do they ever yell at each other?

Actually, no. In fact, just the opposite. They like each other and get along very well. They understand they are playing different roles, but they view them as complementary. They didn't plan it out this way, but the relationship has evolved into something that actually works quite well for both of them. Huntsman can take moderate positions on national issues and build his reputation as he desires, while Herbert is back home soothing the conservative Republican base, attending and speaking at their gatherings, and smoothing over any hurt feelings.