DES MOINES – It’s often been noted that former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty doesn’t seem temperamentally suited to attack his rival candidates for the Republican presidential nomination. But attacking rival candidates is part of politics. So Pawlenty, with his political ambitions on the line in Iowa, has compiled an uneven record when it comes to negative campaigning. The best known example was his “Obamneycare” shot at Mitt Romney during an appearance on Fox News Sunday, followed by Pawlenty’s decision not to press his case when face-to-face with Romney at a New Hampshire debate the next day.
Now Pawlenty practices something that might be called the non-attack attack. At a breakfast with a small group of reporters in Des Moines Monday, he repeatedly suggested that other candidates in the GOP contest were unqualified, not credible, and in the race to win a spot on cable TV — and then retreated when asked to attach specific names to his accusations.
In one instance, Pawlenty was asked about Rep. Michele Bachmann, now leading the GOP pack in some Iowa polls. Pawlenty stressed that in the end his record of achievement as governor will prevail over candidates with less substantial records. (Pawlenty has sometimes described Bachmann’s record as “nonexistent.”) “Even though we have moved as a country more toward this fusion of entertainment and politics and news, at least for president and at least for the Oval Office, I think the country is still going to put somebody in there who is experienced, seasoned, strong, thoughtful, and with a record of results,” Pawlenty said. “That’s one of the strengths I bring to the table. I’m not doing this to get a cable TV show or some sort of gig down the road. I’m doing it because the country is in trouble.”
“I’m not ever going to be the cable TV shooting star of the month,” Pawlenty declared. “That’s not my campaign.”
That led to an obvious follow-up question: Which candidates are in the race to get a cable TV show or some sort of gig down the road? “No, I don’t mean it as to a particular candidate,” Pawlenty answered. “I just mean that there is this entertainment phenomenon that is now part of politics. It’s undeniable and it’s irreversible — I get that, that’s part of the reality of it — but we also have to balance that against making sure that our leaders also can solve the problem.”
At another point in the conversation, Pawlenty was asked where he might finish in Saturday’s GOP straw poll in Ames. He chose not to make any predictions, but when asked whether he would be satisfied with finishing third, he said, “It depends on who the other two spots are, how close it is. I mean, if the other two are viewed as not in the long term credible national candidates, then that’s less significant than if they are.”
That, too, led to an obvious follow-up question: Which candidates are not viewed as long-term credible national candidates? A reporter surmised that Pawlenty meant Bachmann and Rep. Ron Paul.
“No, I didn’t say that,” Pawlenty answered. “But if it were to turn out that somebody came in first who the country didn’t view as a credible candidate, that’s less of a hurdle to going forward for fundraising and political support.”
But was Pawlenty suggesting Bachmann and Paul are not seen as credible?
“No, I didn’t suggest that.”
Well, there are very few candidates in this straw poll, Pawlenty was asked. Who at the straw poll would fit that description?
The time allotted for the breakfast was nearly over, and a Pawlenty aide interrupted. “We’ll wrap it up there,” he said.
But Pawlenty had one last thing to say. “You guys can fill in the blanks on your own,” he said. “That’s what you do.”
