At Thursday’s national meeting of Republican governors, Minnesota’s Tim Pawlenty apparently took a potshot at his could’ve-been running mate, John McCain. According to MSNBC, he said, in reference to public perceptions about the GOP’s negativity:

“When did you see Reagan get angry,” Pawlenty said, adding that the 1980s president was positive and strong. “People want to follow mostly positive leaders; they don’t want to follow cranks,” he said, an apparent reference to McCain, which was met with scattered laughs from the crowd.

The conservative site Human Events says Pawlenty’s use of the c-word drew gasps, and many in the crowd weren’t sure to whom he referred. Sarah Palin also took the stage today, decrying our country’s addiction to “opium” (OPM or Other People’s Money, a reference to bank bailouts) and explained the GOP’s losses on Nov. 4: “God is in control, and He decided it was not our time and not our moment.“