Republican candidates speaking in tongues – Video of Jon Huntsman speaking Madarin

We know that Mitt Romney speaks French and that this fact has insanely been used in attack ads against him. Why does knowing and speaking a foreign language make anyone less qualified to be president of the United States? In fact, I think it makes them slightly more qualified, implying a certain worldliness to their character.

Thirty former presidents were at least bilingual. Teddy Roosevelt and John Adams were masters of six and wine loving Thomas Jefferson spoke ten languages. This brings us to Republican candidate Jon Huntsman. Remarkably, he speaks Mandarin, an incredibly difficult language for any English speaker to learn.

Huntsman learned the Chinese dialect while on a Mormon missionary trip in Taiwan. He proved it at a town hall meeting in South Carolina, which unfortunately left some people, including the Donald, cold.

"I didn’t think the Mandarin thing worked at all. I thought it was ridiculous,” Donald Trump told Fox News. “And frankly, I think Huntsman’s stance toward China is – it’s almost like he’s an Obama plant.”

Former head of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele Huntsman commented on MSNBC,  “I thought he was ordering takeout.” Ouch!

Here's a clip of Huntsman speaking near perfect Mandarin:

 

Given that China is the most populated country in the world and one of the U.S.'s largest trading partners (love it or hate it),  it might be a good idea for some of the other candidates to start brushing up on their Mandarin .

For those with that extra intimate relationship, this  might be fun place to start:

 

Related articles

• Jon Huntsman's Mandarin moments (politico.com)
• Jon Stewart to Jon Huntsman: 'It's Over' (huffingtonpost.com)

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Ron Paul to other candidates: Get the hell out of the race

Looking presidential already     Wikipedia

Ron Paul on the go      Getty Images via @daylife

Mitt Romney scored a convincing win in the New Hampshire primary, but Ron Paul was no slouch either, coming in second well ahead of the rest the pack. Paul had this to say in his speech on the night of his silver medal win, "I called Governor Romney a short while ago before he gave his talk and congratulated him because he had a clear-cut victory, but we are nibbling at his heels. There was another victory tonight. He had a victory, but we have had a victory for the cause of liberty."

It was a good showing for Paul who frankly has done much better than I would have believed. Still there is a long way to go in the race for the office of president. That's what makes this call by Paul's campaign for everyone, except Romney, to get the hell out of the way, somewhat comical.  Here's the full statement issued from the Paul camp:

"Ron Paul tonight had an incredibly strong second-place finish in New Hampshire and has stunned the national media and political establishment.

When added to Paul’s top-tier showing in Iowa, it’s clear he is the sole Republican candidate who can take on and defeat both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. 

The race is becoming more clearly a two-man race between establishment candidate Mitt Romney and Ron Paul, the candidate of authentic change. That means there is only one true conservative choice. 

Ron Paul has won more votes in Iowa and New Hampshire than any candidate but Mitt Romney.

Ron Paul and Mitt Romney have been shown in national polls to be the only two candidates who can defeat Barack Obama.

And Ron Paul and Mitt Romney are the only two candidates who can run a full, national campaign, competing in state after state over the coming weeks and months. Ron Paul's fundraising numbers -- over $13 million this quarter -- also prove he will be able to compete with Mitt Romney. No other candidate can do all of these things.

Ron Paul is clearly the conservative alternative to Mitt Romney as the campaign goes forward.

We urge Ron Paul’s opponents who have been unsuccessfully trying to be the conservative alternative to Mitt Romney to unite by getting out of the race and uniting behind Paul’s candidacy 

Ron Paul has the boldest plan to cut spending, a dedication to protecting life, and a lifelong dedication to the Constitution and limited government. He also has the necessary support to campaign nationwide against Mitt Romney.

Our campaign is already planning ahead for South Carolina, Florida, and beyond. Soon Ron Paul will head to South Carolina to begin a feverish round of campaigning.
Ron Paul is in this race for the long haul. And he is ready to fight.

See you on the campaign trail."

And a long trail it is.

Related articles

• Ron Paul, to the Not-Romneys: Drop Out! (reason.com)

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Ron Paul has a sense of humour! He sent this funny tweet to Jon Huntsman

Ron Paul  Wikipedia

We know now that Mitt Romney pulled off a first place win in the Iowa primary beating out Rick Santorum by a slim eight votes. Ron Paul followed a close third garnering 21 percent of the votes, trailing Romney and Santorum by just four percentiles.

 What we didn't know is that Paul has a sense of humour!

 He sent candidate Jon Huntsman,  who did not participate int he Iowa primary,  this tweet last night:

According to BuzzFeed, the tweet was sent, deleted and then sent again. Try and figure that move out!

Related articles

• Iowa Poll Shows Paul-Romney-Santorum Dead Heat (huffingtonpost.com)

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Mitt Romney will be the next U.S. president

Credit: Wikipedia

Let me say this right off – I like Herman Cain. My reasons for liking him might be different from those that applaud his 9-9-9 taxation plan or his overly simplistic views on economic issues. I like him because he actually answers questions. While the other candidates dance the dance of words when asked direct questions in a debate, Cain will answer the question, yes actually answer the  question, in plain, clear language. The problem with Cain is simply his lack of political experience. His views have become somewhat more inconsistent as the level of scrutiny has increased with his popularity. A more experienced politician knows how to bait and switch with more skill than Cain has shown. The handling of his roaming stance on abortion is a prime example.

Enter the chameleon Mitt Romney. Friend of the gays? Maybe. Maybe not. He's been able to play it both ways with great success. Tea Party supporter? Who knows. A one point he took great care to distance himself from them, but lately has been snuggling up to them, as the political winds appear to be shifting that way, a la Herman Cain. Health care? Again, who can really tell since he brought in government health care in Massachusetts, only to condemn the program later, albeit blaming the Democrats for its mismanagement.

The question is: Will America elect a waffler Romney? The answer is yes. With Obama imploding on his lack of ability to deal with economic and military issues, the country is looking for a change. I've left out the rest of the Republican candidates, because I simply do not see them as having any hope of actually becoming the party candidate. It's Romney's track record of selling his changing viewpoints that actually will get him elected. He's a skilled and charismatic politician, with the depth of experience to know how the political world works.

In the end,  the election for president is largely one of personality cult and the ability to craft it. Like it or not, Romney has this worked out to the nth degree. He has the ability to craft his image to fit the current electable mold, to a much greater degree than his competition.

Ladies and gentlemen: President Mitt Romney.

P.S.   One might ask "What about the religion factor?" There is an issue with the big "M" in the room that doesn't stand for Mitt. Are Americans ready for a Mormon president? I believe it will be overlooked in the end. The focus on religion in the U.S. presidential race has always perplexed me. As a true non-believer, I have always thought religion has no place in politics. I find the Mormon doctrine and history to be totally bizarre, but then I find that most religions fall in this category. The biggest strike against the Mormon religion appears to be it's more recent incarnation. Just keep your religion in your pants Mitt and you'll be alright.