I’ve had the opportunity to watch Pawlenty in action over the span of years – first in the MN House where he reached Majority Leader, and then his two terms as Governor.

Pawlenty is a political insider; a politician through-and-through; a GOP establishment loyalist. He carefully views his actions and positions through that lens. Many find that to be a strength. I believe that such a man cannot win the trust of Tea Party America unless he convincingly overcomes that perception.

How does one overcome who and what one IS? The conservative electorate is finely tuned to sniff out any whiff of inauthenticity, and even more finely tuned to root out establishment place-holders. And when T-Paw TRIES to overcome his establishment cred, it is embarrassingly obvious. I cringe on his behalf every time he tries.

Is he a conservative? The short answer is yes, absolutely – until and unless it becomes politically expedient to tack to the Left.

Is he a fighter? Yes – as long as he’s got legislative support to help him weather the onslaught from the media, the Democrats, and liberal special interests.

Pawlenty is conservative in his gut, with a “bent toward government solutions” caveat. In other words, he’s a pro-government Republican. Nothing anti-establishment about the guy whatsoever.

In the state house he was solid. As governor he began conservatively with a split legislature, but drifted Leftward when he lost both houses to the Dems. His statement is essentially true – “As Governor, I moved a Democratic state in a conservative direction.” But he has shown enough willingness to adopt liberal ideology and policy when he feels he must, to cause some justified concern.

For instance, T-Paw’s much talked-about backtracking on Global Warming? and Cap-n-Trade. I believe that Tim Pawlenty NEVER believed in man-made Global Warming?, and never genuinely supported Cap-n-Trade. Everything I have seen him rail against over the years tells me this.

But a couple short years ago, it seemed the wave of the future was going to be Global Warming? and all the Socialist solutions to it. Rather than standing for his conservative beliefs, Tim Pawlenty looked at the political landscape and calculated that the bandwagon was the place for him to be.

I believe his position NOW against AGW and Cap-n-Trade is where his beliefs always resided. His true position was the conservative one.

So do we need to worry about betrayal on Cap-n-Trade? Not now. But if it somehow becomes the political juggernaut issue it seemed to be a couple years ago, who knows? He was willing to go against his conservative beliefs and hop on the bandwagon before when it appeared politically expedient and wise, and then hop back home when it was not.

He’s not a RINO. He just acts like one sometimes when it counts.

Among the establishment candidates toward whom I have little positive to say, Pawlenty is one I would settle for if I must. But I do not believe the conservative electorate at large will support such a candidate through to victory against Barack Hussein Obama. If we do not end up with a nominee who shows a willingness and ability to fight hard and speak plainly in ways that convey authenticity and connection with the realities concerning the grassroots about the malfeasance of this government, than nominee will lose.