Exit Gov. Huntsman

Although former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman claimed his third-place finish in New Hampshire was a "ticket to ride" in South Carolina's primary Saturday, he abruptly cashed in his fare Monday and endorsed Mitt Romney.

Huntsman announced his presidential bid in June 2011, with the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop, pledging to uphold "civility, humanity and respect." His service as President Obama's ambassador to China betokened bipartisanship that has largely evaporated from American politics.

While Huntsman was deeply conservative on social issues -- opposing abortion and taking a hard line on immigration -- he chose to emphasize moderation on the campaign trail. Alone among the Republican presidential field, he worried about global warming.

But his high-minded campaigning failed to connect with GOP voters, more enamored of the red-meat rhetoric his rivals dispensed. His fellow Mormon, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, was better positioned to appeal to establishment Republicans.

Huntsman decided to forgo the Iowa caucuses and stake his hopes on a good showing in New Hampshire. He did better than the polls suggested he would but finished a distant third to Romney and Rep. Ron Paul and received no "bounce" in South Carolina.

Huntsman's sudden endorsement of Romney was a surprise, considering his increasingly harsh criticism of his rival. Huntsman assailed Romney's "flip-flops" and accused him of being a "pretzel candidate" and a "perfectly lubricated weather vane." Those comments were quickly erased from Huntsman's website.

Huntsman had little impact in the GOP field, but his exit leaves Republican moderates -- what's left of them anyway -- bereft of a candidate and frees Romney to concentrate on wooing the social conservatives who predominate among South Carolina Republicans.