Pawlenty Heads to Key Primary State of Nevada Later This Month.
Meanwhile, Tonight the Minnesota Governor Aims to Burnish Foreign Policy Credentials at Speech in Alabama.
In another sign that Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) is putting together a run at the GOP Presidential Nomination in 2012, he will be visiting the key primary state of Nevada later this month.
Pawlenty will headline the Nevada Republican Lincoln Day Dinner on Feb. 27 in Las Vegas. Nevada is one of four “early states,” along with New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina, that plan to hold their primaries before the rest of the country.
Pawlenty is a busy man out on the speaking circuit, he will be keynoting the Alabama Winter Dinner in Montgomery, Alabama tonight. As a Governor, some say one of the things Pawlenty lacks as a potential heavy weight presidential candidate, is foreign policy expertise.
To that end, tonight, in addition to his usual rhetoric on the economy, the national deficit and jobs, Pawlenty plans to go after the Obama administration on National Security.
Here are some excerpts Fox has obtained from tonight’s speech in Alabama:
“Exactly 12 weeks ago today – as President Obama was flying over the Pacific on his way to an Asian summit and most of the press back in Washington was getting an early start to the weekend – the Obama Administration announced it would try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and five other terrorists in a civilian court in New York City.
“And, exactly 6 weeks ago today – on Christmas Day – a would-be bomber tried to blow up an airplane filled with innocent people as it landed in Detroit. Within hours of being taken into custody, the terrorist was read his rights, offered access to an attorney and charged in civilian court.
“Combined, these events reveal a frightening truth: Terrorists are at war with America, but the current Administration thinks this is a law enforcement exercise
“To defeat terrorists and keep America safe, we can’t fight with one arm tied behind our back. This means trying terrorists in the military commissions that Congress established three years ago – not civilian courts. And it means holding these trials in the courtrooms right next door to the cells they’re already in at Guantanamo Bay, rather than relocating terrorists to New York, Alabama, Minnesota – or any other state.”
In announcing his visit to Nevada, Pawlenty took a shot at President Obama, who recently said people shouldn’t “blow a bunch of cash in Vegas” if they’re trying to save money to send their kids to college.
“I’m defying President Obama’s orders and going to Las Vegas in order to help the Nevada GOP.”
Pawlenty’s visit to “Sin City” is also a direct shot at Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), “Our goal is to replace Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid with a Senator who values the needs of Nevadans more than the partisan interests of his political party.”