My bad. I was thinking minority leader and thinking VP.
Huntsman can afford to sound reasonable and intelligent. He is not on top and fighting for the vote of the baggers. He is trying to get traction from a broad spectrum of voters. However he can not get the position unless he goes a bit crazy. But that is not now. If he gets closer, he will have to appeal to the crazies. That might lose him the moderates that he has built up as his base. A reasonable candidate has to walk the coals carefully.