Huntsman spends political capital on civil unions

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. did more than just drop a political bomb last week. He exploded the PR equivalent of a thermonuclear warhead over the Capitol with his announcement of support for civil unions for same-sex couples. The fallout served as fertilizer for rumors, gossip, and great jokes regarding the governor's timing, method of declaring his position, and disregard for Utah's conservative nature.

Is the announcement part of a grand plan to secure a cabinet position or ambassadorship from President Barack Obama?

Pignanelli: First, I wish to express gratitude to the governor for a late birthday present. It was great fun to watch this spectacle unfold. By the end of the week most GOP veteran politicos concluded Huntsman's actions were a clever attempt to paint himself as a "New Republican," attracting an appointment from President Obama. Indeed, there is speculation that Huntsman is now a contender for Secretary of Commerce, with the departure of Senator Gregg.

Webb: Despite speculation to the contrary, Huntsman obviously is not angling for an Obama administration appointment, at least in this term. The top positions are nearly gone, and Huntsman can better further his political ambitions as a progressive young leader in the moderate wing of the Republican Party.

Is this the beginning of the Huntsman for President Campaign?

Webb: With so many variables and political twists and turns ahead, it's impossible to plot a direct course to become a viable presidential or vice presidential candidate. But Huntsman, like lots of other GOP governors, clearly is interested in positioning himself, being available, and taking advantage of every opportunity. He's learned lessons from watching another Mormon, Mitt Romney, and is taking essentially the opposite approach. Romney was a moderate governor who felt he had to pander to the far right, so he abandoned his true nature as a pragmatic, moderate, problem-solving business leader and morphed into a born-again ideological conservative. But Romney could never win evangelical Christian love, and he was tagged as a flip-flopper.

Huntsman is a moderate governor who, instead of veering to the right, is blowing off the right. He's cementing his progressive credentials by supporting gay rights, backing climate change initiatives, taking the sales tax off food, liberalizing liquor laws and adopting moderate positions on immigration. It's obviously how he believes, but it's also a calculated risk that a market will exist for a moderate, progressive, pragmatic westerner in the 2012 GOP presidential or vice presidential sweepstakes. Or perhaps at least a top cabinet post in the next presidential term, Republican or Democrat.