Jon Huntsman has dropped out of the Republican primaries.

While the Clown Car is amusing to watch, this kind of thing is bad for our country. Birther crazies doing the racist dirty work, candidates attacking each other for not being a ‘real Christian’, bellicose brags about who they’ll invade as soon as they get their finger on the button, millionaires wearing flannel shirts– it’s a comedy but the joke’s on us.

Huntsman threw his support to Mitt Romney, and we won’t be hearing anything mavericky from him anytime soon. I did not agree with his ‘tax cuts for the rich’ politics but I’ll miss the tone he brought to the debates…

Although he could be critical of his opponents on issues, Huntsman emphasized “civility, humanity and respect” in his campaign – even going out of his way to note that President Obama loved the United States just as much as he does. That was not necessarily the attitude displayed by party activists during the primary election season – certainly not by conservative talk show hosts for whom ridicule and derision is a primary means of political discourse.

Ironically, news of Huntsman’s withdrawal came on the same day The State, South Carolina’s largest newspaper, endorsed him for president. The endorsement said there were “two sensible, experienced grownups in the race,” referring to Romney and Huntsman. But it said Huntsman “is more principled, has a far more impressive resume, and offers a significantly more important message.”

(Read the rest here from the Christian Science Monitor.)

Two adults debating the issues would have been good for our country. A Republican candidate who stands for something besides ‘beating Obama’ would help get our politics out of tabloid territory, but I’m not holding my breath.

I think that Jon Huntsman would have been the strongest contender, if his own party hadn’t run him over.