Well, good luck with that:
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Republican presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman asked Indiana voters Monday night to assess him based on his work as a former governor and diplomat, and rebutted claims that he's too moderate for the GOP
[. . .]
During his campaign, Huntsman has drawn the ire of GOP conservatives for saying, among other things, that climate change is manmade. On Monday, he rebutted claims that he was too moderate, telling his Republican audience that "I'd like to think I'm a mainstream conservative."
"Mainstream" conservative? Oh, no, no, no, don't think so. Isn't your 1 percent ranking in the polls kind of an important clue?
The first sentence contains the correct usage for "rebutted," by the way. Some writers might have been tempted to use "refuted," but that's much too strong a word. To rebut is merely to deny or argue against a claim, which is about all Huntsman can do. To refute is to offer conclusive proof against, which is beyond that poor moderate's power.
