Huntsman Picks Bush Official as Policy Chief

Politico reports:

Jon Huntsman has tapped a former George W. Bush environmental official as his presidential campaign's top policy director.

Mark McIntosh will split his time between Huntsman's Orlando headquarters and the GOP policy world in Washington coordinating expert advice on a range of issues, from the economy to energy, health care and foreign policy.

"Gov. Huntsman is the only candidate in the race with a track record that demonstrates he has what it takes to create jobs and get our fiscal house in order," McIntosh said in a press release. "It is an honor to be working for a candidate with such a deep understanding of domestic and foreign policy and a clear vision for our country's path forward."

McIntosh served as deputy general counsel in Bush's White House Council on Environmental Quality, a post that put him in the middle of battles over climate change, air pollution, nuclear power and land management issues.

"He's very engaging, very smart and very motivating," said Jim Connaughton, McIntosh’s former boss as chairman of Bush's Council on Environmental Quality. "He'll make a strong contribution to their team."

Most recently, McIntosh worked as counsel on environmental and natural resource issues at Boyden Gray & Associates. Earlier in his career, he led policy operations at The Pew Environment Group and worked as an attorney on water and natural resource issues for the environmental group Earthjustice in his home state of Florida.