Oh Yeah, Well I Didn't Want To Be Vice President Anyway!

If I didn't know better, I'd say John McCain was being intentionally cruel.

Most, if not all, Minnesota politicos expected that McCain was set to tap our very own Tim Pawlenty to be his running mate. In fact, there was ample evidence that Pawlenty was on the cusp of veepdom. Most striking was the fact that he had canceled his public schedule for Friday and Saturday, returned to Minnesota from Denver earlier than planned and had booked an “exclusive” interview on Meet the Press Sunday morning. Multiple sources I spoke to indicated that Pawlenty was not acting unilaterally - he was instructed to take these steps. Behind the scenes there were more signs. Republicans sources I spoke to indicated that Pawlenty loyalists and family members were on their way to Minnesota and that Pawlenty’s inner circle was gearing up for a major announcement. One person I spoke to reported that Charlie Weaver, a key member of Pawlenty’s inner circle, was seen at MSP on Thursday waiting for a flight to Ohio. I’ve even heard rumors that a Secret Service detail was assigned to Pawlenty before being reassigned late Thursday (though I have found very limited evidence supporting this particular rumor).

So what happened?

Some people believe that Pawlenty was used as a decoy by the McCain campaign in an effort to distract attention away from their favored candidate, Sarah Palin. This theory has led to widespread anger in the uper echelons of Minnesota Republican circles. Many, many Republicans I spoke to were irate with the McCain campaign today.

The Washington Post reported the same thing with respect to Pawlenty and Mitt Romney. Using colleagues as pawns in a media game is one thing; that those colleagues are in swing states that you need in November is quite another. I think Minnesota just moved firmly into the blue column. The GOP up there is unlikely to lift a finger for John McCain.