Pawlenty On Sanford: Too Much "Baggage" For '12
In an interview this afternoon with On Call, MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) said that he finds SC Gov. Mark Sanford's (R) predicament "pretty sad and troubling," but that "somebody who is involved in that kind of situation would have a hard time making it as a candidate" for the WH.
"I don't think any party would want to knowingly nominate somebody with that kind of baggage," Pawlenty said when asked if adultery should disqualify a WH candidate. But he added: "I think that's up to the voters, ultimately."
Pawlenty has been in Washington since Saturday for the Global Education Competitiveness Summit and is slated to return to MN this evening. He spoke with On Call shortly before today's long-awaited MN Supreme Court decision naming entertainer Al Franken (D) the winner of the MN SEN contest. The interview was also conducted before an AP report quoted Sanford saying he had "crossed lines" with women other than his Argentinean mistress.
Pawlenty called ex-Sen. Norm Coleman (R) a "very dynamic leader" and a "great thinker" who will "have unlimited opportunities inside or outside of politics." He also told On Call that while he's not endorsing anyone yet in the next MN GOV race, if Coleman did become governor, "he'd be a good one."
Pawlenty, a potential '12 presidential candidate, added that he has not met with any members of the nat'l GOP leadership during his visit to the nation's capital.
(FELICIA SONMEZ)