I am not a Pawlenty fan, but I interpreted his statement more as a slam at Trump than Bachman or Palin.
Doesn't really matter who he was slamming. You say it yourself: you interpret his statement as a slam of some kind. And then Pawlenty follows up with the weasel words: "I mean no disrespect".
Maybe he should just talk about his political positions. Or, if he feels the need to slam someone, maybe he should focus on Obama.