Jon Huntsman is quite the candidate; he’s a moderate, cerebral, urbane internationalist with tons of experience. “In other words, he is ‘toast’ in today’s Republican Party, and he has very little chance to be the 2012 nominee,” writes ex-Reagan and Bush staffer Ed Rogers in the Washington Post. To win, he’ll need to speak to the GOP base—and nobody does that better than Michele Bachmann. “She is a star in the party and bulletproof with our right wing.”
That’s why Huntsman and Bachmann should team up right away and form a ticket. “Think about it. Unless there is a new dynamic to the 2012 campaign, Huntsman probably can’t win the nomination and Bachmann shouldn’t,” Rogers argues. Barack Obama is in such a strong position that “Republicans need to do something radical.” Instead of running a dreary standard primary, “take the best team the party can offer and get it started early. Let’s give ourselves a chance.” (More Jon Huntsman stories.)