Jon Huntsman

Distinguishing himself from the pack is nothing new for Huntsman. Two years after flouting religious and familial allegiances to endorse John McCain (R) for president over Mitt Romney (R) in the 2008 presidential primary, the reliably conservative Huntsman finds himself under fire from his own base for shifting rhetoric on same-sex unions.

Meanwhile, the former Utah governor has gone on record as trashing the performance of congressional Republicans and in 2009, welcoming with open arms the very stimulus dollars that fellow GOP governors threatened to reject.

Throw in his unapologetic educational strategies, his sweeping reforms of Utah's tax code, and a rare mix of business and foreign policy credentials, and you've got someone bound to excite and exasperate political observers for years to come.

At the end of January 2011, Huntsman surprised observers and announced he would be leaving his ambassadorial post as of April, most likely to lay the groundwork for a 2012 presidential campaign.

Obama's campaign manager David Plouffe, for example, said Huntsman would be the most difficult Republican to defeat in 2012. "I think he's really out there speaking a lot of truth about the direction of the party," Plouffe said in May 2009.

In His Own Words

"I don't even know the congressional leadership," Huntsman told the Washington Times in 2009. "I don't listen or read whatever it is they say because it is inconsequential - completely."

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