Pawlenty is revving up his conservative credentials

Tim Pawlenty, the Republican governor of Minnesota who appears to be fantasizing about running for president, is doing a Whirling Dervish around the availability of federal funds. This is a relatively new phenomenon among GOP officeholders in the Obama Era. Briefly, he will accept $263 million in Medicaid money but oppose any dough under the new health care reform law, calling Obamacare "some stupid policy agenda." He has even gone to Iowa to tell the voters something along those lines to prove his conservative credentials. You may recall that Pawlenty was the speaker for Summit County Republican Chairman Alex Arshinkoff's prime-time finance dinner in 2008, when Pawlenty was being mentioned as a presidential candidate. It was a fizzle. Even now, a new Minnesota poll said that 53 pct. of Republicans in his state probably wouldn't vote for him if he should decide to run , most likely with a "pro-growth, pro jobs" agenda. (Jeez. Is anybody against jobs? Trouble is, nobody knows how to do it.) He's also zealously pro-life and wants students in all public schools to be required to repeat the Pledge of Allegiance. I'd say more, but you already know where this is going with Pawlenty.