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Looks like someone's trying to out teabag "going rogue" Sarah. Tim Pawlenty's obviously planning on running in 2012 and has decided his best course of action is to throw in with the conservative wing of the party. From The Hill--Pawlenty takes on Snowe:

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.) warned Olympia Snowe today that she's risking her position in the GOP by considering a vote for healthcare reform.

"She's somebody who has gotten into the middle of the healthcare debate in a way that makes Republicans mad," Pawlenty said on Morning Joe. "They make accept that, but they're not going to accept her deviating on many other things."

Asked whether he was glad Snowe was a Republican, Pawlenty hedged.

"There is a process in her state that is broad based that endorses her, and the Republicans in that state say 'we want her to be our candidate,'" Pawlenty said.

Pressed on the issue, Pawlenty made clear he wouldn't offer a definitive answer.

PAWLENTY: "I think Olympia Snowe is somebody who is more liberal than most Republicans would like but she is better than having a Democrat represent me."

SCARBOROUGH: "Is that a yes? I think that's a yes."

PAWLENTY: Well look, the people of Maine have an open process, they selected her. It's different [than Scozzafava]."

Olympia Snowe responded to Pawlenty's criticism...via The Politico:

"I've been a lifelong Republican -- I haven't changed, I don't know what the problem is -- I really don't," said Snowe, speaking to POLITICO at the Capitol. "I know Gov. Pawlenty to be a thoughtful person and i know if he could have rephrased it or re characterized it he would."

But Snowe, who is pro-abortion rights, took serious issue with Pawlenty's underlying argument that some members of the GOP's fast shrinking left flank, including one-time NY-23 candidate Dede Scozzafava, are so far out of the party's anti-abortion, anti-gay rights mainstream they are a "joke."

"All I know is that I've been a life-long Republican, I [spent] 16 years toiling in the minority in the House of Representatives and [was part of] the effort to get us the majority in 1994 -- now were in the minority and I'm still here," she added, with a laugh.

"So, i don't know -- I think they could probably borrow more from me in that sense, in terms of being in touch with your constituents..."

While the Obama White House, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Congressional Democrats debate among themselves whether the so-called "opt out" public health insurance option endorsed by Reid will be included in reform legislation, Minnesota Governor and GOP presidential wannabee Tim Pawlenty has already weighed in. Asked if he would "lead a charge" in his state to opt out, Pawlenty replied, "I think so because I don't like government run health care."

That's easy for him to say. As it turns out, Minnesota is the exception that proves the rule of red state socialism. An increasingly blue state with the 4th best health care system in the nation, the Land of 10,000 Lakes sends far more tax dollars to Washington than it receives in federal spending in return. But for Pawlenty's fellow Republican refuseniks, leaders of red states offering dismal health care and a beneficiaries of a one-way transfer of taxpayer funds from DC, opting out may not be an option.

In recent weeks, Texas secessionists and Georgia legislators have echoed Pawlenty's confused reading of the Tenth Amendment by endorsing a state veto over federal health reform mandates. But just in time for the debate over the merits of a state-by-state "opt out" of a national public health insurance option, the Commonwealth Fund has released its 2009 state health care scorecard. As in 2007, the data reveals the critical condition of red state health care. All of which could present Republican governors and legislatures with a dilemma: Will they refuse to offer lower cost insurance coverage for their residents by rejecting a system funded in part by blue state taxpayers?

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Via Raw Story, Rachel Maddow points out that in a move to make himself the Republican presidential candidate in 2012, the so-called "sane, centrist, future of the Republican Party" Tim "Fear the Mullet" Pawlenty is putting together the usual assortment of Republican scum to run his political PAC:

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has signaled with the creation of his Freedom First PAC that he has his eye on the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, however, believes that far from making him a credible candidate, the list of Pawlenty's consultants and strategists represents "a who's who of some of the worst Republican scandals of the past decade."

Maddow pointed in particular to Pawlenty senior advisor Terry Nelson, a former deputy chief of staff at the Republican National Committee "known for being the guy in charge when the infamous New England phone-jamming
case went down."

That dirty tricks maneuver sabotaged the Democrats' get-out-the-vote operation during the 2002 New Hampshire election and helped elect Republican John Sununu to the Senate. Nelson was the direct supervisor of RNC regional director James Tobin, who was convicted for his role in the case.

Maddow went on to describe how Nelson then left the RNC to beoame a media consultant, hired an advisor to the Swiftboat Veterans, and was behind the notorious race-baiting "Harold, call me" ad that helped defeat the 2006 senatorial campaign of Democrat Harold Ford but was condemned even by many Republicans.
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Pawlenty has also hired former White House political director Sara Taylor, who became notorious in 2007 for her role in the US Attorney scandal and her inability to recall anything of significance when called to testify before Congress.

Mike Huckabee is still a favorite among the James Dobson crowd as Sarah Palin was a no show at their Value Voters Summit weekend wingnut jubilee.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won the Values Voter Summit's 2012 presidential straw poll Saturday, grabbing nearly 29 percent of the vote in a crowded field.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Indiana Rep. Mike Pence each won roughly 12 percent of the 597 votes cast.

Four of the top five candidates addressed religious conservatives at the three-day Values Voter conference in Washington this week — the kind of attendance seen as a significant gesture by activists here, especially in an off-election year. Palin did not make an appearance.

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, which hosted the conference, said Saturday that Huckabee had "potential," but stressed that the former governor's strong showing wouldn't translate into automatic support from the FRC's political action committee. "We want a fully-rounded conservative candidate," he said. "Right now, the door's wide open."

If Palin had showed up and winked at the crowd, her base would have responded in kind, but it's tough going to these things for the quitter. She'll be there in a few years and whip the religious conservative base up into a frenzy.

And Huckabee shows off his foreign policy chops by backing the insane John Bolton over the Pentagon and the White House. There you have it...

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Tim Pawlenty obviously wants to run for President since he's throwing in with Sarah Palin and the "deather" crowd. How pathetic is it when your lies are so bad that even Joe Scarborough is calling you out? After Scarborough asks Pawlenty if there is anything in the health care bills that will "pull the plug on grandma" Pawlenty follows with some fear mongering on the government "rationing care" and says the fears are not unfounded, and Scarborough lights into him.

Scarborough: But you know there are no death panels here though. Counseling is one thing. Having three people lining up saying "granny dies, grandpa lives", that's quite another. You can't get there from here.

Pawlenty: Well what happens Joe, what you call it or label it, but I think the facts are these. When you have a system like the United Kingdom where there are breast cancer...

Scarborough: But we don't. We don't Governor with all due respect. This does not give us a system like the United Kingdom. I'm talking specifically about this bill. How does this bill get us to "death panels"? You don't believe it does do you?

Pawlenty: Joe what if it becomes to expensive and then the trajectory of it is even close to what's being predicted ten years out that they can no longer afford all that they promised and somebody has to say scale back the care. And the federal government is now empowered to do that. When you look at examples around the world where that takes place there are concerns about care being cut back by a federal government institution and we could have a legitimate debate about whether that's good or not. I don't think it is.

Scarborough: Governor, what in this bill though, let's be specific, what in this bill leads us to that position, gives a bureaucrat that power ten years from now to make that decision. I know we're going to have to make excruciating decisions on health care. You've talked about it before, over the next decade because we've run out of money in this country, but what in this bill specifically, what provision in this bill specifically would lead anybody to rationally believe a death panel might emerge in a decade, based on this legislation?

Pawlenty: Joe, there is nothing in the legislation that directly says that, it's the indirect concerns that I'm trying to articulate that I think are at least worth raising.

And from TPM, it appears Pawlenty has now joined the "tenthers" as well. Pawlenty: It's "A Viable Option" To Invoke State Sovereignty, Keep Minnesota Out of Health Care Reform:

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN), a possible presidential candidate in 2012, is now indicating that he could invoke state sovereignty and prevent his home state of Minnesota from participating in a federal health care reform effort if one passes, Minnesota Public Radio reports.

"Depending on what the federal government comes out with here, asserting the 10th Amendment may be a viable option," Pawlenty said, when asked about it by a caller on a Republican Governors Association conference call. "But we don't know the details. As one of the other callers said, we can't get the President to outline what he does or doesn't support in any detail. So we'll have to see, I would have to say that it's a possibility."

Pawlenty made it clear that he and other Republican governors will be more assertive about the 10th Amendment: "I think we can see hopefully see a resurgence in claims and maybe even bring up lawsuits if need be."

The same view -- properly called nullification, a doctrine dating back to the pre-Civil War days in the South -- had previously been expressed by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN).

What's next Tim? You going to be calling for secession for Minnesota along with your buddy Rick Perry down in Texas? Countdown covered the TPM tenther story. Video below the fold.

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Tim Pawlenty apparently has a new rule. When the United States either goes to war with or invades another country, we or they depending on where you live, never lose. Sorry Tim but reality has a way of biting that sort of revisionist history right in it's ass. I would say why didn't John King bother to point out that obvious fact to you, but we are talking about John King here...lol. That man hasn't found a Republican he couldn't give a softball interview to since he made Wolf Blitzer's show Sunday into more of a joke than it was before he took it over.

KING: Let me move on to another issue, another big issue on the president's plate, where, in Congress, he's largely getting more Republican support than Democratic support, and that's Afghanistan.

George Will, a very influential conservative columnist wrote this earlier in the week, "Forces should be substantially reduced to serve a comprehensively revised policy. America should do only what can be done from offshore, using intelligence, drones, cruise missiles, air strikes, and small potent special forces units concentrating on the porous 1,500-mile border with Pakistan, a nation that actually matters."

Is it time for the United States to pull almost all of its troops from Afghanistan?

PAWLENTY: No. I recently returned from my fourth trip to Iraq and my second trip to Afghanistan. The administration has defined the mission in Afghanistan as to to disrupt and destroy the Taliban and Al Qaida and other terrorist forces that represent a threat to the national security interests of the United States.

We need to make sure that mission is successful. And the rule needs to be, when the United States goes to war, the United States wins, and so we need to make sure we do those things to complete that mission successfully, and that includes putting more troops into Afghanistan if needed.

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Finally, it looks like the longest hissy fit in Republican history is finally drawing to a close, eight months after the election:

ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that Democrat Al Franken be certified as the winner of the state's long-running Senate race, paving the way for a resolution in the seven-month fight over the seat.

The high court rejected a legal challenge from Republican Norm Coleman, whose options for regaining the Senate seat are dwindling.

Justices said Franken is entitled to the election certificate he needs to assume office. With Franken and the usual backing of two independents, Democrats will have a big enough majority to overcome Republican filibusters.

However, there's a final hitch:

Coleman's campaign didn't immediately return a call for comment. Nor did Gov. Tim Pawlenty, whose signature is required on the election certificate Franken needs to be seated.

Pawlenty, a Republican, has said he would sign the certificate if ordered to do so by the court. The court's ruling stopped short of explicitly ordering the governor to sign the document, saying only that Franken was "entitled" to it.

You may recall that when Pawlenty was on TV earlier this week, he indicated he'd sign the certificate -- but used very lawyerly language in doing so:

... I'm going to follow the direction of the court, John. We expect that ruling any day now. I also expect them to give guidance and direction as to the certificate of election. I'm prepared to sign it as soon as they give the green light.

... Well, a federal court could stay or put a limit on or stop the effect of the state court ruling. If they chose, if they do that, I would certainly follow their direction. But if that doesn't happen promptly or drags out for any period of time, then we need to move ahead with signing this, particularly if I'm ordered to do that by the state court.

Now, it would be a mighty thin straw to grasp, but Pawlenty could say that since he wasn't ordered to sign it, he doesn't have to (and then point to any appeal filed by Coleman as a further excuse). Normally, I'd guess that sanity would prevail and Pawlenty wouldn't attempt it. But given the behavior of Minnesota's GOP throughout this fiasco, anything seems possible.

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Someone please tell me this means we are finally going to see a Sen. Al Franken some time in the next week or so. If Pawlenty actually signs the election certification once the Minnesota Supreme Court makes its ruling, it's about damned time. Enough with the games Governor.

KING: Welcome back to State of the Union. Let's continue our conversation with Minnesota's Republican governor, Tim Pawlenty.

Governor, I want to move on to what you think ails the national Republican Party. But first, a question that is very personal to you. Your state has only had one United States senator since the election because of the disputed election between Republican Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken.

Your state supreme court has a ruling before it, it could come very soon. After that ruling, the next step would be for you to certify the election. Will you certify the election based on your state's supreme court ruling, is that for you?

PAWLENTY: I'm going to follow the direction of the court, John. We expect that ruling any day now. I also expect them to give guidance and direction as to the certificate of election. I'm prepared to sign it as soon as they give the green light.

KING: And so if Norm Coleman loses at the state supreme court and says he's going to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, will you give him that time or will you say, sorry, Senator Coleman, our state supreme court, our highest court in this state, has spoken, and I will follow their lead?

PAWLENTY: Well, a federal court could stay or put a limit on or stop the effect of the state court ruling. If they chose, if they do that, I would certainly follow their direction. But if that doesn't happen promptly or drags out for any period of time, then we need to move ahead with signing this, particularly if I'm ordered to do that by the state court. KING: And if you're ordered to do it and they say Al Franken has narrowly won the election, you're prepared to sign it, if the court says so.

PAWLENTY: I'm not going to defy an order of the Minnesota Supreme Court. That would be a dereliction of my duty. But a federal court could weigh in and say, don't do that and order a different result.

What's a Sunday without another Bobble Head session.

Meet the Press: "White House senior adviser David Axelrod will discuss President Barack Obama's agenda with host David Gregory. From the other side of the aisle will be former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

ABC's "This Week," David Axelrod along with Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a major player in the health care debate from his perch as ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee.

"Face the Nation" Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour gives his first Sunday interview since succeeding Sanford as chairman of the Republican Governors Association last week. Also, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, will sit down to provide her perspective on Iran, Iraq, North Korea and Afghanistan.

"Fox News Sunday." Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) debate health care reform. Army Gen. Ray Odierno, will give an assessment as American forces prepare to withdraw from major cities.

State of the Union" Gen. Ray Odierno along with Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.) and BP Capital CEO T. Boone Pickens, the Texas oilman who's been pushing wind and natural gas as major power sources.

Please lend us your tips and comments...

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Countdown's Worst Persons for June 8, 2009 with winner Pete Hoekstra. Runners up Tim Pawlenty and Pastor Ken Pagano.

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A lot of speculation has been going on in the blogosphere about the commitment Pawlenty has in listening to the Minnesota Supreme Court since he announced that he wouldn't seek a third term in office. Many feel he'll just ignore the ruling of the court and let it drag on for years to placate the right wing base. Andrea Mitchell just about finished up an interview with Gov. Tim Pawlenty when she asked him if he would be signing the certificate which would in all likelihood make Al Franken the next Senator after the Minn. Supreme Court ruling is handed down. He said he would abide by the court's decision and take swift action and sign the certificate.

Mitchell: I know you've said you'll abide by the Supreme Court decision on the Franken Coleman race, do you expect that that will by all accounts lead to Al Franken being the next Senator from Minnesota? Isn't it time to get this resolved?

Pawlenty: Yea, we're anxious to get it resolved but I can't sign the certificate until the State court process is complete, we don't know who the winner is, but as soon as that process is complete and they give direction as to signing the certificate, I'm going to sign it, there's not going to be any undue delay or tactics like that so we'll follow the direction of the court.

We can only hope he's telling the truth and will sign the certificate even if Coleman takes it Federal. The Supreme court will be handing down their decision very soon.

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty held a press conference this afternoon to tell the media that he's not planning on running for a third term for governor.

A source close to Republican Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty confirms to First Read that Pawlenty will announce today that he will not be running for a third term in 2010.

This announcement, of course, will raise speculation about whether Pawlenty plans to spend the next three years preparing for a presidential bid in 2012.[..]

Pawlenty gave a firebrand speech at the Republican Governor’s Association meeting in Miami, a week after the party’s sound November election losses. He gave some tough medicine to the party, saying, “It needs to get younger, more diverse and build a broader coalition,” we wrote at the time. "If we're going to successfully travel the road, as a Republican,” he said at the time, “we need to see clearly, and be honest about where we've been and where we're headed. … If we're going to be the majority, we're going to have to see we need to grow the party. We cannot compete in the Northeast, the West; we're losing seats in the Great Lakes region. We have a large deficit with women, Hispanics, African Americans -- people with modest financial circumstances. That is not a formula for a majority." In the halls at the meeting, Pawlenty was lukewarm toward another potential 2012 GOP candidate, Sarah Palin. In fact, during his speech “he delivered a line that might sound like an opening 2012 shot at Palin,” we wrote then.

"'Drill baby, drill' by itself is not an energy policy," he said. "It's not enough. We're going to need wind and solar and bio mass."

Pawlenty neglects to mention that even if he did dare try for a third term, he'd be unlikely to win re-election. Just a few days ago he acknowledged to local press that winning a third term would be an uphill battle, even though last year he has said he'd make his decision in early '09. His continued support of Coleman hasn't helped him at all in his state. The Minnesota DFLs tell Pawlenty "Don't let the door hit you..."

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Gov. Tim Pawlenty joined Neil Cavuto and talked up his next move in the Franken/Loserman election as the Minnesota State Supreme Court is getting ready to rule next month. Cavuto is all hot and bothered because bloggers and the unions are pushing Pawlenty to certify Franken. Pawlenty responded that Neil should name his show "Between a rock and a hard place." I have no idea what that means, but if I were to offer a guess, I'd say that he knows the court will rule in favor of Franken, but his Republican buddies want him to stall it for all of eternity. Unfortunately for Pawlenty, the Minnesota voters want this thing settled.

Pawlenty: Once the Minnesota Supreme Court rules I will follow their direction in the law in that regard and there's lots of different scenarios of where it could go from there. For example, our Minnesota Supreme Court could rule that the case has to be remanded down to a lower court for ballot opening and further recounting, they still have a variety of theories. If they do that, again The state election certificate cannot be issued until the state court process is complete. That's what our law says and I will follow the law in that regard.

Cavuto: There are also these reports from a number of powerful Republicans in your state that are telling Norm Coleman, you put up a good fight, but give it a rest, step down.

Pawlenty: Well, I'm not privy to those discussions or what Norm Coleman is going to do after the Supreme Court decision so that ball is in his court or maybe in Al Franken's court, if Al Franken loses. The same questions or pressures are going to be placed on him...

Cavuto: I think what they are saying is do it now, don't wait for this decision, just do it now.

Pawlenty is trying to tell us he hasn't heard from Republicans in his state about this election? Jesus... And Loserman, do it now. Yeah baby, do it now. Concede and move on.

To me it appears that Pawlenty will not allow his decision to be made by the Supreme Court led by John Roberts, and we should keep pushing him on that...

Would it be great if this was finally over? But no, Norm "Sore Loser" Coleman continues to do the dirty work for the national Republican party. See, when Republicans steal an election and Democrats protest it, we're cry babies. And when Democrats win an election, Republicans insist it's illegitimate. Do you ever get the feeling that Republicans just don't like democracy?

Al Franken asked the Minnesota Supreme Court on Monday to affirm his victory in the 2008 Senate race and hand down a ruling that would direct Gov. Tim Pawlenty to certify him the winner.

“We think the law is clear,” said Franken's lead attorney, Marc Elias, pointing to a state Supreme Court ruling on the matter in February that he said indicated “that the certification would issue after the state court process ended.”

The Minnesota “Supreme Court is the end of the state court process,” Elias noted.

The request came as part of Franken’s reply brief to Republican Norm Coleman’s appeal of a trial court decision that declared Franken the Senate winner by 312 votes out of 2.9 million cast on Nov. 4.

It's time for Gov. Pawlenty to certify Al Franken's victory so he can take his rightful seat in Congress. We are waiting for the Minnesota Supreme court to rule which is supposed to come in June. It's highly doubtful that they will overturn the election results so Americans United For Change produced this ad to let him know that we're watching. And the state of Minnesota is watching too.

All the polls show that they want this carnival over and Franken to become their new Senator.

According to the Star Tribune Minnesota Poll, nearly two-thirds of the 1,042 adults surveyed believe Norm Coleman should concede the race. A separate poll by the Alliance for a Better Minnesota shows about two-thirds of the 600 people polled believe the recount process was "fair, impartial, accurate, and carried out according to Minnesota law."

The findings come after Coleman filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, following a 3-judge panel's ruling that Franken won the Senate race by 312 votes. In his appeal, Coleman cites that there are over 4,000 rejected absentee ballots that should have been counted.

Political Analyst Ralph Doty, who himself voted for the Independent candidate, said at this point in the game, Minnesotans are being "deprived." Von Thill of Cloquet said he agrees. "There's more important things to get resolved right now, with the economy, and everything else."

Gov. Pawlenty can't succumb to pressure from the Limbaugh National Committee and keep obstructing him. If Norm Loserman wants to go to the Roberts Court, that shouldn't stop Gov. Pawlenty from signing off.

Call 800-657-3717 and tell him to certify Al Franken.