Huntsman
“Huntsman … and you can see how far that is getting him.”
“Tough to out-do a former ambassador to China. Not like it was ambassador to the Bahamas.”
“He’s probably one of the few that has had his passport stamped in the last year.”
“No contest here. But Huntsman, with his broad international experience, is much too logical.”
“Got to be Huntsman, but that and a quarter won’t get you a coffee at Starbucks.”
“Is this a trick question? Huntsman is the only qualified one on the list.”
Gingrich
“Gingrich = Credibility. No one else comes close to him.”
“On trade and international business, Huntsman has a strong résumé, but when it comes to national security, Newt seems to be the only one who actually had a seat at the table, among this crowd.”
“Newt is the only one who both has a deep understanding of the substance and handles these issues with confidence.”
Romney
“Romney has had ample time as a candidate to have established a foreign-policy advisory staff, and he’s smart enough to absorb and assimilate information. Still, he won’t be a match for an incumbent president whose strong suit is international affairs.”
Santorum
“He knows China has nukes, he’s voted on Defense and State department budgets, but he’s irrelevant.”
Which Republican candidate has the most credibility on foreign-policy and national-security issues?
Republicans (98 votes)
Mitt Romney: 33%
Jon Huntsman: 30%
Newt Gingrich: 28%
Rick Santorum: 5%
Rick Perry: 2%
Other: 2%
Romney
“One is tempted to say Huntsman on strength of his stint in Beijing. But Romney has shown an impressive grasp of the key issues, including the importance of both diplomacy and military strength. Plus, frankly, the key foreign-policy issues of the next four years could very likely be economic.”
“In the absence of true experience, it comes down to gravitas.”
Huntsman
“In the land of the blind, one eye is king.”
“Unfortunately, the candidate with the most credibility has no chance of getting the nomination. Sigh.”
Gingrich
“Not a lot is new. A history professor with an understanding of the real world has credibility.”
“Even he will tell you he’s the smartest guy in the room.”
Santorum
“None of them are where McCain was last cycle, but Santorum is the only candidate with a track record of speaking out against the ongoing threat of Islamic fundamentalism.”
Perry
“The most Reagan-like candidate. Now the most conservative serious candidate left. Has to deal with a foreign country every day.”
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This article appears in the Nov. 12, 2011, edition of National Journal.
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