Tim Pawlenty proved today during an appearance at the National Press Club that he knows what it takes to make it onto the ticket.
"Discretion," he said, when asked by Buffalo News reporter and former Press Club President Jerry Zremski what the most important qualities for a vice presidential candidate are.
Pawlenty amused the luncheon crowd with VP-related humor that bookended a speech explaining why Republicans "want to be the party of Sam's Club, not just the country club."
Will McCain Pick the Better Part of Valor?
It's T-Paw's most familiar line, and he said it means that the GOP
needs to reach out to the type of working-class voters who were called
Reagan Democrats a generation ago.
He praised Reagan for being an optimist with a positive message but also for being a pragmatist.
"When push came to shove, he got things done," Pawlenty said. "That's a good lesson for Republicans who want to govern."
He also said Reagan understood the need to offer ideas to voters, and Pawlenty said Republicans need to compete for the Sam's Club crowd on energy and environmental issues, education, and health care.
The presentation left little doubt that Pawlenty could help shape a domestic agenda for the security-heavy McCain should the Arizona senator put him on the ticket.
And the question-and-answer session afterward left even less doubt that he is willing to attack Barack Obama. He went so far as to mock the difficulty of the foreign policy accomplishment Obama cites from his tenure in the Senate.
"Who's against rounding up loose nukes?" Pawlenty asked.
Pawlenty said he was not heading to McCain's Washington area headquarters during his trip and declined to answer questions about whether he would be chosen.
"I don't answer the vice president questions anymore," he said.
But he teased the audience at the start of his speech by noting that he is often asked "When is he going to decide?" and "Who is he going to pick?"
Pawlenty's response: "I don't have any particular insights into where Brett Favre is going to play."
He praised Reagan for being an optimist with a positive message but also for being a pragmatist.
"When push came to shove, he got things done," Pawlenty said. "That's a good lesson for Republicans who want to govern."
He also said Reagan understood the need to offer ideas to voters, and Pawlenty said Republicans need to compete for the Sam's Club crowd on energy and environmental issues, education, and health care.
The presentation left little doubt that Pawlenty could help shape a domestic agenda for the security-heavy McCain should the Arizona senator put him on the ticket.
And the question-and-answer session afterward left even less doubt that he is willing to attack Barack Obama. He went so far as to mock the difficulty of the foreign policy accomplishment Obama cites from his tenure in the Senate.
"Who's against rounding up loose nukes?" Pawlenty asked.
Pawlenty said he was not heading to McCain's Washington area headquarters during his trip and declined to answer questions about whether he would be chosen.
"I don't answer the vice president questions anymore," he said.
But he teased the audience at the start of his speech by noting that he is often asked "When is he going to decide?" and "Who is he going to pick?"
Pawlenty's response: "I don't have any particular insights into where Brett Favre is going to play."
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