From the second page of the article:
For most conservatives, the biggest blot on Pawlentys record is his past support for cap-and-trade. He does not try to finesse the issue. Its fair to say Ive had a change of position and change of view, and the reason is its a dumb idea, he tells NR. It was a mistake. All public officials have a few clunkers in their record, he says, expressing the hope that voters will appreciate a straightforward acknowledgment of error. He adds, I think my clunkers are fewer than others. This particular clunker is widely shared. Gingrich, Palin, Romney, and Mike Huckabee all once supported cap-and-trade although not all of them are as candid as Pawlenty about their switch.
Maybe you should read the whole thing.
Likewise, I was willing to cut the Mittster a little slack in 2008 for the same reason. But his subsequent defense of the mini-health care fuster cluck in Massachusetts turned me off.
Pawlenty isn't the type of guy who is likely to excite a crowd in the same way that Sarah does (with conservatives) or even ObaMao does (with the looters and the mentally challenged). And he sure isn't my first choice. But I do think he has the potential to be a better than average president, especially considering how low that standard has fallen lately.