Tim Pawlenty’s lead anecdote in today’s State of the State address featured a Minnesota governor who sought national office only to be sent home empty-handed. The tale wasn’t autobiographical (good thing, because the man, Gov. John Johnson, died shortly after returning to Minnesota, Pawlenty said). But its inclusion might suggest that Pawlenty, short-listed as John McCain’s VP candidate, will grow old in Minnesota. “My health,” T-Paw said, “is pretty good.” But The Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder thinks Pawlenty’s plan of giving big tax cuts to businesses in hopes of slimming a nearly $5 billion budget gap suggests he’s again positioning himself for national office:

[T]he wisdom of the economic policy can be debated, but the politics is pretty clear enough.  People close to Pawlenty say he has not decided whether to run for national office, but they concede that he pays attention to his national profile and wants to leave the option open.

He’s now going to be able to say: While Washington spent trillions, I led the way on tax cuts.