I’m confident enough to put this up now, but willing to be wrong.

Right now though, every sign, signal, and background chatter indicates John McCain will pick Tim Pawlenty, Minnesota’s governor, as his running mate.

UPDATE: A source close to the campaign now confirms for me that it “more likely than not” is Pawlenty. He does, however, caution me that the campaign does not actually want to leak tonight lest the Obama camp get too much of a chance to play the victim card with a sympathetic media.

Below the fold, I’ve compiled data on Pawlenty that you might find useful.

Protecting the Unborn

• Recognized as a pro-life leader by “Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life”

• Has appointed judicial conservatives to the bench, and recently drew praise from pro-life advocates for his appointment of Eric Magnuson as Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court

• Fought for and signed pro-life measures including: Woman’s Right to Know (requiring 24 hour waiting period and required information be provided before an abortion), a fetal pain awareness act (requiring notice and information regarding pain experienced by fetuses) and positive alternatives to abortion act (providing funding and support for organizations promoting alternatives to abortion).

• Believes life begins at conception

• Strong desire to overturn Roe v. Wade

• Opposes embryonic stem-cell research while supporting adult stem cell research

Protecting the Taxpayer

• Achieved long-standing state goal of moving Minnesota out of the top ten highest taxed states according to the U.S. Census Bureau

• In 2003, resolved the largest budget deficit in state history and the largest budget deficit in the nation at the time (as percent of state budget) without raising taxes

• Vetoed all bills which increased taxes, including setting single session record for vetoes (34) by a Minnesota Governor

• Supported Performance Pay for politicians, which would dock the pay of state office holders if a balanced budget is not passed by the constitutional deadline

• Has keep state employment roles essentially flat during his 5+ years in office.

• Proposed and signed into law welfare reform that requires able-bodied people to seek work

• As majority leader in Minnesota legislature, fought for and achieved historic tax cuts.

• Supports an Initiative and Referendum Amendment to the state constitution to empower citizens to make and repeal laws

Potecting Law Abiding Citizens

• Cracked down on meth dealers and sex offenders with tougher penalties

• Required released sex offenders to wear GPS tracking bracelets

• Proposed re-introducing the death penalty in Minnesota

• Fought for and signed conceal-carry legislation

• Strongly supported and endorsed by the NRA

Fighting Illegal Immigration

• Required visa expiration dates printed on driver licenses for legal resident aliens

• Blocked passage of the DREAM Act which would have allowed in-state tuition for illegal immigrants

• Fought Minneapolis and St. Paul ‘sanctuary’ laws, which prevent police and other city agencies from inquiring about immigrations status

• Proposed state law enforcement task force to crack down on illegal immigration

• Proposed state fines for the hiring of illegal workers

• Proposed increased penalties for using false identification documents

Protecting Marriage

• Strongly supports constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage and authored statutory changes supporting traditional marriage as a legislator

Promoting Faith-Based Solutions

• Established an office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives to assist social organizations increase their effectiveness by gaining better access to the financial resources of state and federal governments

Accountability in Education

• Developed and implemented nation-leading reforms in education, including performance pay for teachers.

• Strong supporter of school choice.