The NY Times pens the first story about Pawlenty's early exit from the Republican presidential nomination. It's a five week sprint from behind Mitt Romney and Michelle Bachmann to finish first at the Iowa straw poll. If he can't beat Bachmann (who hails from Minnesota and Romney who is not even contesting the Ames straw poll) there's very little chance that he'll have the funding to continue on through January.
Tim Pawlenty was first in line to enter the Republican presidential race. He is now fighting to avoid becoming the earliest major candidate to be shown the door.
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The voting will not open for at least six months, but Mr. Pawlenty knows that his performance at the Iowa Straw Poll on Aug. 13 — fair or not — will help determine whether his candidacy accelerates or lands in the annals of Republican presidential hopefuls like Elizabeth Dole, Lamar Alexander and Dan Quayle whose campaigns were extinguished here.
The sense of urgency was apparent as Mr. Pawlenty made the case to Republicans that an experienced candidate was preferable to an intriguing one. If Michele Bachmann, his fellow Minnesotan, was on his mind, he did not say so directly, but there was little mistaking his point.