Pawlenty 2012: T-Paw gets ready for more close-ups

Only the most naive political observer would doubt at this point that Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is carefully positioning himself to make a serious bid for the White House in 2012.

Politico.com’s Jonathan Martin reports today that Pawlenty will give a "major speech" at the Republican National Committee’s summer meeting next week.

"Pawlenty’s July 30 address to national committee members in San Diego represents something of a national party debut for the second-term governor," Martin writes. "While he gained some notoriety as a frequent surrogate and vice presidential finalist for John McCain last year, ‘T-Paw,’ as he’s often called, is not well-known among the sort of state-level activists and donors who make up the RNC and who play a key role in presidential politics.

"Since announcing last month that he would not run for re-election in 2010 — making a presidential run logistically easier — Pawlenty has begun to take steps that reflect an obvious interest in strengthening his national profile."

Just last month in Washington, Pawlenty gave the keynote address at the College Republicans national convention, spoke to a GOP lawyers’ group and attended a reception for "young Republican operatives and Hill staffers," in addition to being the featured speaker at a fundraising dinner for the Arkansas Republican Party, Martin notes.

As PIM’s Steve Perry reported yesterday, Pawlenty still as a firm grip on sixth place in a Washington Post ranking of the most influential national GOP leaders at the moment.