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Exclusive: Huntsman Urges Swift Withdrawal from Afghanistan
ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- 1250 AM WTMA: The Big Talker | News and Talk from Charleston, South Carolina
Just hours after Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., admonished Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman's war stance on ABC's Good Morning America, the former ambassador to China said he'd like to see "a significant drawdown" and get "American troops out faster" from Afghanistan.
Just a couple of hours after kicking off his official campaign with a speech in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, Huntsman sat down for an exclusive interview with Jonathan Karl's "Subway Series," during which they talked about Afghanistan, his relationship with the White House and those head-scratching videos from the campaign featuring a man riding a motorcycle.
When asked whether he could support "taking out the surge troops...by 2012," Huntsman said, " I think that we need to transition into a counter-terror effort as quickly as we can." But what about getting troops out faster? " Definitely, get American troops out faster," said Huntsman. "Transition into what would be more in line with intelligent- intelligence collecting, uh, special forces on the ground, some training needs obviously with the Afghan army, and that's not a hundred thousand soldiers."
As for suggestions from former White House advisor David Axelrod that Huntsman wasn't straight with them about his intentions, Huntsman replies, "Well, because there was nothing to the time. I was serving my country until the day we left, and I didn't engage in politics, I wouldn't engage in politics."
Is he unapologetic about the time he called the GOP leadership "inconsequential" back in 2009? "Well, we got whipped in that election cycle of 08' didn't we?" said Huntsman, " I think we learned some important lessons."
Now, says Huntsman, "the party and party leadership, I think they've gotten the message loud and clear and they're stepping up the plate."
When pressed whether he considered congressional Republicans still inconsequential, Huntsman signaled a change in heart.
"They're working on real proposals and they're putting forward real solutions to debt and spending, which I think is the most important challenge we're facing today so I give them high marks for that," he said. "I think the Ryan plan is excellent and I've said as much over and over again. We didn't have the Ryan plan before. We didn't have any of that long-term thinking that existed in '08 or '09. Now we do."
Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio
ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- 1250 AM WTMA: The Big Talker | News and Talk from Charleston, South Carolina
Just hours after Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., admonished Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman's war stance on ABC's Good Morning America, the former ambassador to China said he'd like to see "a significant drawdown" and get "American troops out faster" from Afghanistan.
Just a couple of hours after kicking off his official campaign with a speech in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, Huntsman sat down for an exclusive interview with Jonathan Karl's "Subway Series," during which they talked about Afghanistan, his relationship with the White House and those head-scratching videos from the campaign featuring a man riding a motorcycle.
When asked whether he could support "taking out the surge troops...by 2012," Huntsman said, " I think that we need to transition into a counter-terror effort as quickly as we can." But what about getting troops out faster? " Definitely, get American troops out faster," said Huntsman. "Transition into what would be more in line with intelligent- intelligence collecting, uh, special forces on the ground, some training needs obviously with the Afghan army, and that's not a hundred thousand soldiers."
As for suggestions from former White House advisor David Axelrod that Huntsman wasn't straight with them about his intentions, Huntsman replies, "Well, because there was nothing to the time. I was serving my country until the day we left, and I didn't engage in politics, I wouldn't engage in politics."
Is he unapologetic about the time he called the GOP leadership "inconsequential" back in 2009? "Well, we got whipped in that election cycle of 08' didn't we?" said Huntsman, " I think we learned some important lessons."
Now, says Huntsman, "the party and party leadership, I think they've gotten the message loud and clear and they're stepping up the plate."
When pressed whether he considered congressional Republicans still inconsequential, Huntsman signaled a change in heart.
"They're working on real proposals and they're putting forward real solutions to debt and spending, which I think is the most important challenge we're facing today so I give them high marks for that," he said. "I think the Ryan plan is excellent and I've said as much over and over again. We didn't have the Ryan plan before. We didn't have any of that long-term thinking that existed in '08 or '09. Now we do."
Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio