From the second page of the article:
For most conservatives, the biggest blot on Pawlenty’s record is his past support for cap-and-trade. He does not try to finesse the issue. “It’s fair to say I’ve had a change of position and change of view, and the reason is it’s 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.