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Aug 23, 2008 4:39 pm US/Central
MN Gov Says Petraeus Would Have Been Better Choice
(AP)
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Pawlenty says a better choice would have been Gen. David Petraeus, above, whom Pawlenty calls an outstanding leader who better represents mainstream America.
CBS
Gov. Tim Pawlenty criticized Barack Obama's selection of Delaware Sen. Joe Biden as his vice presidential running mate, but the Minnesota Republican again deflected questions on Saturday about his own potential vice presidential bid.
"Joe Biden's statement that Barack Obama is not ready to be president of the United States is something we should listen to," Pawlenty told The Associated Press by phone as he was making campaign stops in eastern Pennsylvania for Republican presidential candidate John McCain.
Pawlenty has been mentioned as a serious contender to be McCain's running mate for the November election, but has been hesitant to talk about any aspirations.
"I don't get into the VP speculation because that sets off another round of articles, and so much of it is just speculation and so much ends up to be inaccurate, so I just stopped answering VP questions," Pawlenty said. "I'm just delighted and honored to support Sen. McCain as a volunteer and as somebody who I just believe is going to be a great president for our country."
But Pawlenty, on a three-day, two-state swing through Pennsylvania and Ohio that included Saturday stops at a sportsmen's club to discuss the Second Amendment and the economy, thought Obama picked the wrong running mate to support his campaign of change.
"It seems that his rhetoric has been around change, there needs to be change in Washington and he has used for his political advantage this concept of the need for Washington outsiders," the governor said. "Then when he has one of his first big decisions, he chooses the consummate Washington insider, which I think is noteworthy."
Pawlenty said Obama selected a "mentor," showing a lack of experience for the nation's highest post. Biden, 65, is a 35-year veteran of the U.S. Senate. Pawlenty said he believed Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, would have been a better choice for Obama.
"He's an outstanding leader and somebody who would better represent the mainstream of the country," Pawlenty said.
McCain has also expressed deep admiration for Petraeus.
The governor might get to see the ticket firsthand, confirming that he was still planning to go to the Democratic National Convention in Denver on Thursday as a McCain surrogate.
Pawlenty, who received plenty of encouragement at a stop at the Minnesota State Fair before leaving for Pennsylvania, has repeated declined to speculate on how close he is to becoming McCain's vice presidential running mate, a list that also includes contenders like former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
Pawlenty, 47, lives in Eagan and started his climb in politics there, first as a city councilman and later as a state legislator. He won the governor's office in 2002 and is midway through a second term he once pledged he'd serve out in full.
But some state voters have urged him to set his sights higher.
Pawlenty broadcast his weekly radio show Friday from the WCCO-AM fairgrounds booth and closed by telling his live audience he'd be back in the same spot next Friday -- the same day McCain is expected to name his running mate in battleground Ohio.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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