True North

Michael D. Tanner, a domestic policy analyst for the Cato Institute, knows that Gov. Tim Pawlenty is on the punditry's short list of vice presidential candidates. After all, Pawlenty was an early booster of John McCain, and has something of a maverick status within the party.

That last part is what causes Tanner to say that Pawlenty's value to the ticket is limited, at least if "value" means "bringing the conservatives on board to work for McCain."

Tanner mentions just a few of Pawlenty's deviations from the small-government standard.

Most of the items on his list are in the area of health care--generally, too little use of markets, too much use of government--but others touch on renewable energy mandates and the smoking ban. Tanner could have added the "it's a fee, not a tax" gambit and reversals on light rail and corporate welfare (Twins stadium), and the "the era of small government is over" remark.

Tanner says, "John McCain cannot hope to win this fall without the support of economic and small government conservatives." Will they be energized if Gov. Pawlenty is added to the ticket?

Not exactly. Then again, I'm not sure that a VP choice is, with rare exception, that significant.