Pawlenty Stands Behind O’Donnell, Hints at 2012
Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.) appeared this morning on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” where he remained coy about his decision to run for president in 2012 but stuck to his guns in his support for Delaware GOP Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell:
“„Brzezinski: “Do you think that some or all of the Tea Party candidates are reasonable Republicans? And I guess specifically I ask about Christine O’Donnell. Is she a reasonable candidate?”
Pawlenty: “Well I think in that case, Mika, she was selected by the Republican voters of Delaware in an open and fair primary. I know people are concerned about some of her comments and she’s addressing those and we’ll know more about that as it comes out. But from my standpoint if a state in an open and fair process picks somebody as their candidate, you know from a Republican standpoint, I’m going to give that person deference and say, ‘You’re part of the team. We’re with you.’”
Pawlenty insists he’ll make the decision about 2012 after his Minnesota governorship ends in January, but he’s making a number of “presidential” moves today that seem to indicate his intentions. Politico’s Mike Allen reports that he has officially signed with the speaking agency Leading Authorities to handle his engagements in 2011, and his book publisher has launched a website and video to begin pre-selling his biographical book, “Courage To Stand,” due out on January 11.
