This column also appears at TPT’s Almanac at the Capitol website.

After Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s recent photo-op trips to Iraq and Afghanistan, those of us back home in Minnesota are being forced to ask whether he intends to fulfill his commitment, made before the 2006 elections, to serve a full four-year term in St. Paul.  Is he burnishing his national and foreign-policy credentials for a shot at Washington as John McCain’s running mate?

more insideIt’s not just a rhetorical question.  Pawlenty was one of the few Republican survivors in a national Democratic wave in 2006, leads what could charitably be called a “bluish-purple” state and would provide geographic balance for the Arizona senator’s ticket.  Given that Pawlenty himself has never attained a majority in statewide elections in Minnesota, it’s doubtful whether his presence would actually put Minnesota into the “toss-up” category in 2008.

However, there are other practical reasons for McCain to choose him:  McCain is old.  He will be 72 years old in 2008.  Part of choosing a vice presidential candidate is finding someone to serve as a political successor, and Pawlenty’s relative youth and simplistic speaking style provide a fitting target.

But what about his responsibilities at home?  The question is raised every time a sitting official runs for higher office:  should he or she resign from a current position to run full time and make sure their constituents get the attention they deserves?  Arizona should be asking this about their senior senator, who just Tuesday missed a vote on implementation of the 9/11 commission’s national security recommendations.  Minnesota should be asking the same thing about its governor.

Simply put, I don’t think it’s too much to ask that the governor keeps his constituents updated on his political plans in a timely fashion.  Anything less would be somewhat impractical and more than somewhat disingenuous. 

After all, did anyone vote for Gov. Carol Molnau in 2006?