Pawlenty's name has been bruited about as a VP candidate for some time. He even stuck with McBush when it looked like his candidacy was dead. Recent polls showing that Obama is 17 points ahead of McBush in MN probably means that even with Pawlenty on the ticket, McBush won't win MN. Pawlenty is still trying, however.

This reports on an annual Republican event in CT. and reflects an uncritical look at campaign rhetoric. It attempts balance by quoting some attending that have not committed to voting for McCain. Most interesting to me was this sound bite saying that McCain may be behind, but he's doing well, given that Obama has had more coverage: "An online Rasmussen Reports poll published in early June showed presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama leading McCain by 47 percent to 44 percent. 'That's really insignificant given that Barack Obama has really dominated the media coverage for three months,, state Republican Party chairman Christopher Healy said before the dinner began. 'John McCain is a well-known quantity in ... More »

The story ignores Pawlenty's background which will make him a disastrous Vice Presidential selection. He twice vetoed bills that would have increased the gasoline tax in order to improve roads and bridges in Minnesota, directly contributing to the Highway 35 bridge collapse. His threatened veto stopped an attempt to balance the state budget by making the top 1% of the state's earners pay only the same rate of income tax as does the middle class. Far from appealing to working people, his administration has been of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich.