TIRE SWING 2.0

It looks as if Jon Huntsman has found his base, and it's the same as John McCain's base:

HANOVER, N.H. -- Jon Huntsman's first stop on the New Hampshire campaign trail Thursday was billed as a cozy meet-and-greet at a small-town restaurant.

It ended up as a big media circus.

TV cameras and dozens of writers and photographers were there to hear the former Utah governor break the nearly two-year political silence he kept as ambassador to China, as he kicked off his five-day tour of the state. The retirees and Dartmouth College students who stopped by to see him were so overwhelmed by the media throng it was impossible to tell just how many actual voters were packed into the private banquet hall at Jesse's Tavern and Restaurant here.

CNN did live shots from outside the restaurant an hour before Huntsman's arrival. ABC's George Stephanopoulos, in New Hampshire to shoot a spot for "Good Morning America," showed up in a black Lincoln town car with a chauffeur -- and he earned a handshake and a "Hi, how are you?" greeting from the potential presidential candidate. Huntsman was wearing a TV microphone on his lapel so the show could capture the audio it needed....

Huntsman's campaign is full of McCain campaign veterans. Many observers believe his campaign strategy is modeled on McCain's strategy in 2008. Huntsman endorsed McCain rather than Romney in the last presidential cycle, and did so very early -- in 2006.

And now it looks as if Huntsman intends to try to win the nomination by making the McCain-esque move of first winning the Mainstream Press Primary.

Meanwhile, over at Fox Nation, actual Republican voters are a tad less impressed with Huntsman than the mainstream reporters who are crushing on him:

He is a RINO with McCain-Snowe type beliefs. Puleeze. No more wussies.

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My brother is a staunch Obozzo supporter who lives in Utah, he said that if Huntsman was the Republican canidate he would have to choose between the two!!! In that I say, there is NO WAY inHELL I would vote for this person!!!

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It would appear that Obama tried to use rendition to "reeducate" another Republican.

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Oh please...another metro-sexual beta male RINO. I should know he used to be my governor...he's a loser. The MSM is trying to push him as the "candidate the Dems are worried about"...they know he can't beat Obimbo...so that's why they're pushing him.

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Huntsman should go hunting with Cheney

McCain could win in 2008 because he passionately backed the Iraq War -- which meant he was solid on Republican voters' #1 issue, and had been from the beginning, in a way everyone knew was sincere.

And his war record made him the choice of old-school, pre-Fox, pre-talk radio Republicans who might not keep up with the latest litmus tests, but wanted to vote for someone they saw as an old-fashioned patriot.

And it was his turn.

None of this is true for Huntsman -- and the party is that much crazier now. Putting reporters on the tire swing isn't going to work for him.