Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman said he may decide this week to run for the Republican presidential nomination, calling President Obama "absolutely" beatable, given the current "economic backdrop."
"We've got everything that any country would hope for in order to hit it out of the ballpark," said Huntsman in an interview with Peter Cook in Manchester, N.H., that will air Monday on Bloomberg Television's "Bottom Line." "We just don't have a plan, we don't have vision, we don't have the right leadership to get us there."
Huntsman, 51, is seeking to capitalize on his business, government and foreign-policy credentials to position himself as an alternative to the Republican frontrunner, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. With a GOP presidential debate set for Monday in New Hampshire, Huntsman is drawing closer to declaring his candidacy.
"We're moving in that direction," he said. "We've got about all the boxes checked." He said he would meet with his family this week, "and then I think we'll be able to check that box."
He said his experience as ambassador to China under Obama until earlier this year was "very important," and that his experience as an executive at his family-run company had provided him with "knowledge of the private sector."
PAWLENTY: 5% GROWTH IS 'STRETCH GOAL'
Republican presidential candidate and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said his proposal to stoke the U.S. economy to grow at 5 percent each year is an "aspiration" that goes hand-in-hand with his plan to slash taxes and curb government expenditures.
Pawlenty, 50, told "Fox News Sunday" that he would "dramatically reduce spending" on federal programs to pay for tax cuts that may lower revenue by as much as $11.6 trillion over a decade. Achieving 5 percent economic growth each year is a "stretch goal," he said. "This is an aspiration. It's a big goal," he said.
His proposal also would reduce taxes and make cuts to mandatory and discretionary government programs, he said. Taken together, the policies would "unleash economic growth," he said.
