An outbreak of utter sanity

To use Daniel Dravot's line in The Man Who Would Be King, God's holy trousers!

Honesty is breaking out all over the place in Jon Huntsman World. Suddenly behaving like a man who has nothing to lose (and he doesn't), the rational Mr. Huntsman has been speaking truth to GOP delusion of late. And not a moment too soon.

Having crawled through a long tunnel of muck, he has emerged into the cleansing rains like Tim Robbins, all Shawshank Redemption-like.

Behold these recent outbreaks of utter sanity:

"[Michele Bachmann] makes for good copy--and good photography."

"The minute that the Republican Party becomes the anti-science party, we have a huge problem."

"The reality is Mitt Romney’s record on job creation was abysmal by every standard."

"To be clear. I believe in evolution and trust scientists on global warming. Call me crazy."

On Rick Perry's view that the Fed is treasonous: "Well, I don't know if that's pre-secession Texas or post-secession Texas."

"I wouldn't necessarily trust any of my opponents right now [on the economy]."

Today, some are saying Jon Huntsman is "too likable to win." Irony is such sweet sorrow. Back in February, I opined that Huntsman, a smart Republican moderate, was eminently qualified to be president. He wouldn't get my vote, but I could at least sleep at night were he to occupy the Oval Office. But because he was (a) rational, (b) reality-based, and (c) linked to Obama (as his ambassador to China), the little-known Huntsman would be a leper inside today's Mad Hatter-controlled GOP. Hence, he was dead on arrival. That scenario has since played out. He remains invisible in the polls. But unlike Perry, Huntsman is no fool. Though there was a whisper of a chance he could win in 2012, surely he knew the odds were against him. Ergo, his stratagem is really about auditioning for 2016. If he has now judged himself to be more or less out of the running, then his recent comments make perfect sense. I suspect Huntsman is betting as I am: The eventual GOP candidate will be blown out by Obama, forcing conservatives to awaken from their Tea Party fever dream. He then hopes Republicans will turn their lonely eyes to him. The fly in the ointment of course is Jeb Bush ― a political powerhouse who may also run in 2016. But that's grist for future posts.

Still, it is refreshing to see Huntsman drop the bullshit and speak the truth. Hearing it, as Peachy Carnehan (Michael Caine) said in The Man Who Would Be King, "helps to keep my soul from flying off."

(Photo credit: Annie Leibovitz, Vogue)