Does it Matter if Jon Huntsman is ‘Fluent’ in Mandarin Chinese? | Asia Society.
A superb article by the Asia Society’s Chris Livaccari on the Society’s web site. Livaccari’s point is that the argument over presidential candidate
Jon Huntsman speaking at Tsinghua University in Beijing
Huntsman’s fluency is not the issue. The fact that he can communicate with – and understand – the people of China gives him an insight on America’s single most important foreign policy relationship that no other candidate can have.
No single factor should be sufficient to get any person elected to high office, much less the highest office of the land. As we have all learned, for example, charisma and eloquence do not a president make.
It is time we all made lists of issues we want our next president to handle. For me, China is awfully close to the top, right next to putting us back to work and restoring our competitiveness.
