Whatever For?

1 November 2006



Duncan Hunter Signals White House Bid

Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) announced on Monday, eight days before the mid-term elections of 2006, that he is starting his bid for the White House in 2008. While he is certainly more qualified that the current occupant to lead the nation, one must wonder just what he thinks he's doing. The Republicans are the party of primogeniture, the eldest son inherits. In 2008, it's John McCain's turn. So just what is Congressman Hunter think he's doing?

He's been a congressman since being elected in 1981, currently in the 52nd district of California, which is in northern and eastern San Diego County. That's a pretty conservative spot, and he's a Reagan Republican, or so he says. He's a Vietnam Vet (unlike the president, he served his full time in the military) who believes in an over-equipped military, and he doesn't like illegal immigrants. He said in announcing his Forlorn Hope, "We are going to carry our message of a strong national defense and strong national borders." Why must American politicians appropriate the royal pronoun? It's bad enough when Elizabeth II does it, but she can cite historical reasons for doing so.

What may be behind his decision is the term-limits on committee chairmanships he faces. The GOP decided in a fit of ideological purity to prevent members for chairing committees in perpetuity. Mr. Hunter will be forced to give up his position as Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, a very powerful position, after 2008. Moreover, if the Democrats win control of the House of Representatives, he will be out of the chairmanship in January. It's a case of trying to keep them down on the farm after they've seen Gay Paree - no fun as a member of the minority party.

Looking for a new job before getting thrown out of the old one is not a foolish thing at all. However, running for president as a Reagan Republican with virtually no name recognition outside of southern California against John McCain isn't going to get him far. He's not even second-tier, like Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts or former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. As his congressional opponent Democrat John Rinaldi said, "He has about as much chance of being president as I do of becoming Miss America."

However, running for president is a fine way to audition for other jobs, which includes the Vice-Presidency. If the GOP retains the White House in 2008, there are loads of cabinet jobs, and frankly, Mr. Hunter is better qualified to be Secretary of Defense than Field Marshall von Rumsfeld. If he tires of Washington, DC, there are ambassadorships galore: Ambassador to NATO if he wants to work, Ambassador to the Bahamas is his golf game needs work. Even if the Democrats win the White House, he can walk into any defense contractor and pick up a six-figure salary for a no-show job, just make a few phone calls.

This is not to say that Mr. Hunter doesn't want to be president. He's been around long enough to know that it's a fulltime job, and running for the position is an even greater commitment. And despite ideological differences with this journal, there's no reason to believe he would perform poorly in the Oval Office. However, he's a long-shot, and if winning the White House isn't possible, he can still derive some personal gain from trying. The reader may draw his own conclusions as to what that says about America in the year 2006.

© Copyright 2006 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.


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