Can Jon M. Huntsman Jr. run against President Obama without really running against him?
The former governor of Utah entered the Republican presidential contest on Tuesday with a pledge of civility and an announcement speech that was purposely devoid of the harsh anti-Obama rhetoric of his rivals.
Mr. Huntsman did not directly accuse Mr. Obama of any specific failures, like the other Republican candidates have. And though he suggested that the country needs “more than hope,” his only direct reference to Mr. Obama was to insist that he respects him.