http://www.redstate.com/erick/2011/06/19/on-jon-huntsman-see-i-told-you-so/

In announcing his candidacy with the Statue of Liberty in the background, Ambassador Huntsman attempted to associate himself with my late father, President Reagan. It was embarrassing to watch him channel-up my father's 1981 speech and associate himself with it. As Simon or Randy on "American Idol" might say, if you're going to sing the song of an icon you had better be as good or better that that icon. In making his announcement he was neither. Jon Huntsman was, instead, the great non-communicator.

To win the GOP nomination a candidate must be able to demonstrate how he has helped the party, has raised considerable amounts of money for it, and has helped Republican candidates win elections over the past two years. Huntsman has done none of that. As a matter of fact it has recently been revealed that his family most recently financially supported none other than Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Conservatives have long suspected that there exists a GOP establishment, once known as the "Rockefeller wing," that manipulates the party behind the scenes, putting forth so-called "moderate" candidates for office, providing campaign financing for them and arranging media support for their candidacies.

If that is the case, Jon Huntsman is their boy.

He should never have put his hat the ring, at least this time around. Perhaps he should think about 2020. Maybe then he will be ready for prime time and learned that moderation is not the path to success in the GOP.

Governor Huntsman, Ronald Reagan was my father; I knew Ronald Reagan, and you are not even close to being anything like Ronald Reagan. By saying this, I know I may have violated my dad's 11th Commandment, but I'm sure he'll forgive me.

Huntsman, who is trailing in the polls but is working to build a campaign that could deny front-runner Mitt Romney the nod, criticized those who question the science behind climate change and loathe government's role in fighting it. His tough message was unlikely to endear him to conservatives who hold great sway in the party's nominating process.

"Conservation is conservative. I'm not ashamed to be a conservationist. I also believe that science should be driving our discussions on climate change," he added.

Well, yes, legitimate science ought to be driving this discussion, not the toilet-paper, sloppily-researched college student opinion piece that was exposed for the garbage that it is a couple of winters ago (in what is now derisively referred to as "climategate").

However, last night Romney-lite couldn't seem to avoid sticking his foot into his mouth on another issue either:

From the podium, Huntsman ... criticized them for not being more involved in the political fight of the hour just up the street at the U.S. Capitol: a debate over a measure that would raise the nation's debt limit and avoid a government default.

"None of us should be standing idly by during the 2012 election cycle as we are about to hand down, for the first time in our history, a country that is less good than the one we got," he said.  "None of my opponents have supported a plan that would allow us to avoid default," he said. "This is not a time, ladies and gentlemen, to play politics. ... The world is watching."