Romney's got one, Palin's got one, Huckabee and Gingrich have a few, might Gov. Tim Pawlenty be the next prominent Republican to write a book?

"I've given it some thought but, ah, it would be down the road," Pawlenty said Wednesday in answer to a reporter's question.

These days, becoming a writer or hiring a ghost writer is a near requirement for a national political run. Might Pawlenty's admission that he has given book authorship "some thought" be another sign he is gearing up for a 2012 run?