Last week, in his Absurdly Premature 2012 Watch Column, erstwhile Stumper Andrew Romano mused about the DNC's treatment of Tim Pawlenty, who is steadily becoming target No. 1 for their oppo researchers. Now it seems that Democrats aren't the only ones considering Pawlenty a major player. The Hotline reports that Mitt Romney's Free and Strong America PAC has purchased links on Google so that folks searching for T-Paw (literally, "T-Paw") will be confronted with links to potential 2012 rival Romney.

As I've written previously, I think Romney and Pawlenty will be competing for votes. The religious and very socially conservative voters will flock to Huckabee or Palin types. Younger voters might be attracted to a Jindal type, leaving Romney and Pawlenty to fight it out for the votes of traditional, limited government, small "c" conservatives.

In the wake of the president's failed attempt to bring the Olympic Games to his hometown of Chicago, some conservatives are partying like they live in Rio. On his radio program today, Rush Limbaugh was positively gleeful, declaring this the worst day of Obama's presidency. "Obama demeaned the office of the president going on this sales pitch," Limbaugh said. He told listeners Obama had been "bitch-slapped" upside his head. "He doesn't understand how delighted the world is to make him look foolish in order to take a swipe at our country . . . We've got a 2-year-old manchild with a Mars-sized ego, which today crashed and burned."

Blogger Erick Erickson, who runs the popular Red State site, vented sarcastically. "Hahahahaha. I thought the world would love us more now that Bush was gone. I thought if we whored ourselves out to our enemies, great things would happen. Apparently not. So Obama’s pimped us to every two bit thug and dictator in the world, made promises to half the Olympic committee, and they did not even kiss him. So much for improving America’s standing in the world, Barry O."

Today in "Breaking News That's Been, Like, Totally Obvious for Months Already": Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, the former veep hopeful and recovering mullet victim, wants to run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Now, maybe it was the steady stream of television appearances that tipped us off. Or the increased presence at out-of-state GOP fundraisers. Or even the sleek new haircut. But for some reason, when we read over at Politico that T-Paw "has been quietly assembling the blueprint of a presidential campaign and will announce Thursday the support of a group of high-level political strategists and donors, complemented by a handful of top new media consultants," we weren't exactly surprised. 

Normally, we here at Gaggle HQ would be the first to argue that blabbering about 2012 in October 2010 is a bit premature. But Pawlenty's recent maneuvers may actually have a lot to do with the issue at the heart of this season's political slapfest: health-care reform. Earlier today, my colleague Katie Connolly ably summarized the governor's pluses and minuses as a potential GOP standard-bearer. On the upside, he's a bright, well-liked team player with blue-collar roots who has proven he can win on Democratic turf; on the downside, he's an unfamiliar (and somewhat bland) face with little national experience—and even less money. But what Katie didn't mention is Pawlenty's position on health care. Right now, I suspect that it will define the 2012 Republican primary battle, at least in part. And chances are it will give the Minnesotan a significant boost—whether or not it should.

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Looks like Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has finally bitten the bullet and has submitted papers to register a PAC—usually the first step in any presidential bid—thus ending the most predictable speculation in the 2012 race so far. Pawlenty will call his PAC Freedom First, continuing the GOP trend of corny freedom-themed PAC names. (Mitt Romney's is called Free and Strong America.) Over at Politico, J-Mart reports that Pawlenty has been quietly collecting high-profile campaign staff and supporters, including Vin Weber to co-chair his campaign. Weber, a former Minnesota congressman and a prominent GOP player, threw his weight behind Romney in 2008. Pawlenty has wrapped up a few other big names from the 2008 cycle, including RNC communications director Alex Conant and McCain campaign manager Terry Nelson, who will be big assets to his bid.

In the last two weeks, political commentators have expressed doubts over President Obama's time frame for healthcare reform. Meanwhile, even some Democrat lawmakers appear to be getting cold feet. In response, Obama is relentlessly pitching his plan. He has spoken about healthcare on eight out of the last nine days, and he's scheduled to hold a town hall meeting on the topic this Thursday. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is one of the few politicians in the country with first hand experience of steering major health care reform through the legislative process. The reforms he enacted in Massachusetts have been critizied for being costly, but they've also managed to extend coverage to a significant number of uninsured people. By 2007, the proportion of uninsured people in Massachusetts was the lowest in the country.

I spoke to Romney about his experience with healthcare reform this morning.  His cautionary words for Obama? Slow down. Here are some excerpts from our conversation:

What do you think needs to happen over the next couple of weeks if President Obama's deadline for healthcare reform is to be met?

I think the President ought to hit the reset button. I think it is critical that he have the participation, involvement, and support of people on both sides of the aisle, as well as people in various sectors of the health economy. If we are going to have a dramatic shift in the nature of so large a part of our economy  then it needs to be something that has been thoroughly vetted and has received great support. Out of a desire to move very quickly, while his support is highest, he has skipped the critical steps of educating, involving, and evolving his own plans to meet the perspectives of the great majority of our citizens.

It sounds like you are encouraging the President to slow down. Aren't there risks in delaying?

He's in a very difficult position. We faced a very similar question [in Massachusetts] as we began our process. We spent over two years putting together a health care plan and then building support for it on both sides of the aisle - working with hospitals, providers, doctors, business groups, labor groups, advocates for the poor. We involved all of these parties, and it took a long time, but what we ended up with was a bill that passed the legislature - if you combine the House and the Senate - 198 to 2.  (continued after the jump)

Gallup has released the results of a survey about potential GOP 2012 nominees, and it contains much good news for Mitt Romney fans. Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, the former Massachusetts governor just beats out Sarah Palin in the preferred-nominee stakes (26%-21%), with Mike Huckabee coming in third (19%), followed by Newt Gingrich (14%). Two sitting governors whom pundits consider strong contenders─Minnesota's Tim Pawlenty and Mississippi's Haley Barbour─both polled poorly, but that's likely due to their low name recognition outside the Beltway.

The other good news for Romney is that his unfavorable rating among all voters has dropped substantially since he exited last year's presidential race. Back then, his unfavorables far outweighed his favorability: 46% to 34%. In this latest poll, that dynamic has flipped, with 37% of respondents viewing Romney favorably and 29% unfavorably. That's a 17-point drop in his unfavorables. However, the number of people expressing "no opinion" about Romney has increased. This could cut either way, but fortunately for him, he's got three years to win them over. 

There's good news for Palin, too: her resignation doesn't appear to have altered her overall favorability ratings, which seem largely unchanged since the election. The country remains divided about her, with 43% viewing her favorably and 45% unfavorably. The only group that appears to have been affected by the resignation is Republicans. Her unfavorability among GOPers has risen, but she's still overwhelmingly popular with them: 72% view her favorably. You can read the full results here.

The poll illustrates an interesting disconnect, and one that should be of concern to the Palin camp. She's clearly the most popular figure in the Republican Party, yet Republicans aren't sure they want her as president. Does she need more time to learn her craft? Maybe Republicans are satisfied just to have her voice in the party, but don't see her leading it. Maybe GOPers would prefer to see her on TV than in the Oval Office. What do you think? Post your thoughts in the comments and I'll respond later today.

It's official: If DC pundits consider you a contender for the GOP nomination in 2012, then it's just a matter of time before you are publicly humiliated (or sent to China.) Seriously. In light of Sanford's stunning admission of an affair today, let's take stock:

• Governor Kenneth the Page, um I mean Bobby Jindal: The Louisiana Governor was a bright spot in a gloomy Republican landscape early this year. But it didn't last. Jindal delivered the Republican response to Obama's speech to a Joint Session of Congress in February, and it was, well, a bit weird. Your Gaggler has seen Jindal speak several times. He's usually engaging, serious and forceful. But that night, he was just plain goofy - all smiles and vocal inflections. The response, which prompted comparisons to (and a very funny video by) 30 Rock's Kenneth the Page was pilloried by comics and critics alike. We haven't seen much from him since.
• Governor Sarah Palin: Palin made her national debut last year amid uncomfortable stories about her then 17 year old daughter's unplanned pregnancy. (No doubt a humiliating experience for Bristol.) This year the Alaska Governor has been making all sorts of unflattering headlines. There was the money she had to pay back to Alaska for trips she had taken with her children and her odd "will she-won't she" tango over her appearance at a Republican fundraiser. Then there's her spat with Levi Johnston, the father of her grandson. To top it all off, her most extensive time in the spotlight recently has been due to some crude comments made about her and her family by David Letterman. That list hardly screams "presidential."
  
• Senator John Ensign: Can you believe that just one week ago we were discussing the affair of a different GOP presidential contender? Ensign's six month long dalliance with a campaign staffer, who was married to one of his Senate staffers sounded bad enough. But add to that sordid details like that he was essentially blackmailed into admitting the affair, and the sound you will hear is the death knell for his fledgling presidential aspirations.
  
• Former Speaker Newt Gingrinch: We're not sure this one qualifies as humiliating per se, but it was pretty darn awkward. Gingrinch made headlines recently when he accused Obama's Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor of being a racist. He soon had to recant his words.
• Utah Governor John Huntsman: Now this guy seems to have been entirely above board. No debauchery to report about Huntsman, but that may have been his problem. Obama sent the appealing, squeaky clean, Mandarin speaking Huntsman as far away from the Iowa caucuses as he could: China. Huntsman is now U.S. Ambassador there, where he's working for the man he may have rivaled, and is conveniently out of the political headlines.

Erstwhile Presidential aspirant Mitt Romney writes a scathing editorial in the National Review Online today (read it here) which calls President Obama "a timid advocate of freedom at best." He blasts the President for sitting through Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's blistering 50 minute attack on the United States at the Summit of the Americas and offering only what Romney sees as a mild rebuke in return. He admonishes the President for not responding to the North Korean missile launch with financial punishments or sanctions, and for offering "no hint of military options" toward Iran for violating the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. "Ahmadinejad can act with confidence that the forceful options once on our proverbial table have been shelved," Romney writes. He fails to note, predictably, that the enhanced capabilities in North Korea and Iran in question were largely developed under President Bush's watch. And although he criticizes Obama for failing to deter nuclear brinkmanship, he doesn't mention the President's proposal for a new arms control regime or his anti-nukes speech in Prague. Still, it is a forceful, uncompromising critique that is bound to get conservative hearts racing. 

Romney has been a fairly regular face on cable TV over the past few months, and up until now has offered measured criticism of the administration. That he would choose foreign policy as the subject for his most vigorous attack, when his notable strong suit is economics and finance, is a likely window to his barely sublimated Presidential ambitions. And that he chose conservative magazine the National Review to publish this attack, rather than the Wall Street Journal or the Boston Globe where he has published before, gives us a clue as to just who he is burnishing his foreign policy credentials for: GOP party faithful.

Here's a taste of his oped (after the jump):

End of the Trail: Brownback. Photo: Brendan Smialowski / Getty Images

And then there were nine. On Friday, Sam Brownback will drop his bid for the GOP presidential nomination. The Kansas senator, while popular with the conservative base of the party, never seemed to catch fire in the polls. Yet that’s not the reason he’s quitting. A source close to Brownback, who declined to speak on the record because the senator has yet to announce his intentions publicly, says the decision is purely about the money--that is, his lack of it. Brownback raised just $4.2 million during the first nine months of the campaign and blew through most of it, ending the third-quarter with just under $95,000 in the bank. (Interestingly, that’s about how much John McCain has to spend in the primary, when you figure in his campaign’s debts.)

Where did the money go? Well, for one thing, Brownback bet the farm on Iowa. According to his latest campaign reports, he spent at least $300,000 on the Ames Straw Poll--not including the potentially thousands of dollars more the senator spent on “get out the vote” efforts related to the event that were not clearly identified among his expenditures. According to his Federal Election Commission filing, Brownback spent $128,900 on straw poll tickets alone--which, at $35 a pop means he bought more than 3600 tickets. Yet Brownback got just 2,192 votes that day, coming in third, so that means he likely paid for someone to vote for another candidate. Bummer. He spent nearly $20,000 on buses to bring his would-be supporters to Ames.