Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has surged to the lead in speculation for the Vice Presidential nomination with Mitt Romney for the Presidential Election of 2012!
Pawlenty originally ran for President, but dropped out early, and is seen by many as having the fewest faults and shortcomings of anyone rumored to be on the list for Vice President.
Pawlenty comes across as friendly, decent, approachable, and as someone who apparently has no “skeletons in the closet”, although his stewardship as Minnesota Governor a few years ago has been challenged for its effectiveness, much like Romney’s in Massachusetts.
The two men get along very well, and Pawlenty has been an excellent advocate for Romney in recent months.
His being an evangelical Christian would help Mormon Romney in many areas of the South and Midwest.
But, his nomination, if it occurs, has several shortcomings:
No foreign policy experience
No military experience
First time since 1948 that both the Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees were Governors, with little national exposure, with neither ever having been in national government in any way.
Certainly, Pawlenty will have to be vetted totally, but he seems to have an edge right now in the struggle for who will be Romney’s running mate.
One more thing: Pawlenty was on the short list for John McCain’s running mate in 2008, and would certainly have been a better choice than Sarah Palin!
It will be interesting to see if Pawlenty actually gains the nomination, and whether he is an asset to Mitt Romney in November, but don’t expect him to be able to carry his home state of Minnesota, or Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, or Iowa!