The GOP’s front-runners: Bad and worse - The Washington Post

George Will: The GOP’s front-runners: Bad and worse

In the unending conservative quest to come up with someone not named Mitt, conservative icon George Will comes out with a ringing "yea" for ... (wait for it) ... Jon Huntsman.

(And a blistering condemnation of the Newtmeister in phrases which were not oblique: "Gingrich, however, embodies the vanity and rapacity that make modern Washington repulsive.")

"Jon Huntsman inexplicably chose to debut as the Republican for people who rather dislike Republicans, but his program is the most conservative."

As much as I usually despise every single politician of every party, I have to admit I'm actually starting to like Jon Huntsman as a person. You've probably read that Donald Trump is going to host a presidential debate between Christmas and New Year's Day. Huntsman declined to participate and sent the following statement through his spokesman: "We look forward to watching Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich suck up to Trump with a big bowl of popcorn.". That's pretty much what I would have said in the same circumstances, except that I would have sprinkled in the word "douchebag" a few times. Huntsman couldn't have done that out loud, of course, but it's definitely in the sub-text.

Congressman Ron Paul also declined to participate.

Trump's classy response? "Few people take Ron Paul seriously and many of his views and presentation make him a clown-like candidate," he said. "I am glad he and Jon Huntsman, who has inconsequential poll numbers or a chance of winning, will not be attending the debate and wasting the time of the viewers who are trying very hard to make a very important decision."