Pawlenty Readies for Big Time

Tim Pawlenty for all intensive purposes is already running for the Republican nomination for president in 2012.

As this article discusses, he's begun formalizing this by networking with the types of big money Republican donors and fundraisers that will be critical to the eventual success or failure of his presidential ambitions.

Pawlenty is certainly for real, and barring any meltdown or skeleton in the closet type revelation ala Mark Sanford, he will be there at the end of the nominating process along with Mitt 'Android' Romney.

The smart money at this early point is clearly still with Romney--if for nothing else he came in second last time around and he's filthy rich. But Pawlenty's political star is on the rise--in real time.