Pawlenty en entredicho

Robert Novak cuestiona el historial del Gobernador Tim Pawlenty en materia energética. Para algunos conservadores, su conciencia ecológica podría ser demasiado poco comprensiva con los intereses de los productores de petróleo, aliados tradicionales del partido. How Not to Run for Vice President

(...) Minnesota's Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty carefully prepared his plan for controlling greenhouse gas emissions to present it at the annual Washington winter meeting of governors. That effort coincided with Pawlenty's fast-rising prospects to become Sen. John McCain's choice for vice president. But behind closed doors, his fellow governors from energy-producing states complained so vigorously that the scheme was buried.

Pawlenty's position as chairman of the National Governors Association (NGA) may prove his undoing. While party insiders sing his praises as ideal to be McCain's running mate, leading conservative Republican governors have been less than pleased with him. Pawlenty has collaborated with the NGA vice chairman, Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell, in a fat economic stimulus package, as well as the energy proposal.

Hours after Pawlenty's energy plan was derailed, McCain himself was urged in private by GOP governors not to appear to be anti-coal or anti-oil. The upshot of a busy Saturday at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in downtown Washington was that Pawlenty came over as somebody considerably different from what McCain needs to calm conservatives. He left the nation's capital as a less attractive vice presidential possibility than he was when he arrived. (...)