Pawlenty Struts His VP Stuff

Tim Pawlenty's got plenty on his resume to get him on John McCain’s VP radar. He’s the governor of a key battleground state, a smooth campaigner, and an active GOP player who’s been working hard for McCain. But here’s the proof Minnesota's governor really wants the job, says Salon: He cut his hair. After two terms of steadfastly sporting a mullet in the face of widespread mockery, Pawlenty now sports a trim vice-presidential ‘do.

Will the makeover put Pawlenty over the top? “Depending on what side of bed McCain got out of… he could get it,” Grover Norquist tells Salon. But some of Pawlenty’s strengths could be mirages. He might have trouble swinging his own state, for example. “He's not been a political magician with the public,” says one analyst, noting that Republicans have lost legislative seats during his administration. (More Tim Pawlenty stories.)