On second thought, Pawlenty hits Romney
Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty acted last weekend like he was preparing to tee-up Mitt Romney in his first debate as a 2012 Republican presidential contender, but when the showdown came Monday, he whiffed.
Pawlenty repeatedly passed up chances during a CNN debate to criticize Romney for approving a state universal health care plan while governor of Massachusetts that became the model for the federal plan signed into law last year by President Obama.
Pawlenty had dubbed the hybrid “Obamneycare’’ during an interview on Fox News Sunday, a tag that got him a heap of pre-debate publicity.
Last night, during another visit to Fox, Pawlenty told host Sean Hannity he had made a mistake.
“I should have been much more clear during the debate,’’ he said. “I don’t think we can have a nominee that was involved in the development and construction of Obamacare and then continues to defend it. And that was the question, I should’ve answered it directly; instead I stayed focused on Obama. But the question really related to the contrast with Governor Romney, and I should have been more clear, I should have made the point that he was involved in developing it, he really laid the groundwork for Obamacare and continues to this day to defend it.’’
Rather than be embarrassed by the flip-flop, Pawlenty’s staff sent out an email highlighting his conversation with Hannity.
The misstep was an example of the perils in a presidential run for a first-time national candidate.
Four years ago, Romney was a former governor making his first run for president. He tried to make a name for himself by commenting incessantly on the news of the day, and by seeking to draw attention to himself in group appearances.
He ended up losing the GOP nomination, but is carrying that experience into his second campaign. He was widely seen as delivering a strong performance on Monday night.
Another Minnesota Republican, US Representative Michelle Bachmann, was seen as performing well, too.
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