Pawlenty: I was vetted by McCain

After sidestepping questions last week about whether he had been checked by the McCain campaign for a possible vice presidential slot, Gov. Tim Pawlenty acknowledged Wednesday that he had in fact been vetted for the job.

"I was fully considered and had a lot of discussions with the McCain folks about that possibility," Pawlenty told reporters. The governor made his comments after the Washington Post, quoting senior McCain officials, said the vice presidential choice had come down to Pawlenty and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Sen. McCain's eventual pick. When he spoke to reporters Wednesday, Pawlenty did not elaborate on what the vetting process entailed.

On July 21, former St. Cloud Times and Legal Ledger capitol reporter Bill McAllister started his new job -- as press secretary to Sarah Palin.

He and his wife, Christina Holmgren, moved to Alaska about eight years ago and McAllister worked as a reporter for both a newspaper and an NBC affiliate in Anchorage. He had known Palin for years.

In some 30 years of covering politics, he says Palin is one of only two politicians he has seen with an extraordinary ability to connect with people. The other was the late Sen. Paul Wellstone of Minnesota. "They don't have much in common ideologically, but you could have a conversation with Wellstone about anything. It's the same thing with Sarah Palin," McAllister said.

As a reporter, McAllister had written stories about Palin's potential as a vice presidential candidate, but he didn't see last Friday's announcement coming. He knew she had spoken with McCain on Wednesday, but believed it was a five-minute conversation about energy.

The governor took off work last Thursday and McAllister said it was a slow news day in Alaska so he turned off his BlackBerry that night. His phone started ringing very early in the morning and he turned on the television to find out about his boss with the rest of the world.

The four -- Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Hewlett-Packard executive Carly Fiorina and former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge -- were all seen last week as possible choices to be McCain's VP pick. But Wednesday morning, the strategy seemed to be to have them boost Palin's credentials and deflect stories about her family, including the disclosure that her unmarried teenage daughter was pregnant.

"I think she is the hit of the Republican convention," said Romney, who spoke along with the others at a meeting of the Minnesota delegation and received at least as much applause as Pawlenty.

"The criticism hasn't been justified and warranted," said Ridge, who said the media's treatment of Palin amounted to "subtle sexism."

Minnesota's highest-ranking hockey mom, House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, says it makes sense to her that the Palin family is bringing future son-in-law Levi Johnston on the national stage during the RNC.

"These are kids. These are really kids. It makes sense they're all together," said Kelliher, who has a 14-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter. "I think they're doing what they need to do as a family, coming together. That's what my family does in crisis."

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and his wife raised six children, and he praised the Palins for bringing Johnston on board. "They should. They're not ashamed of their family. They understand families have problems," Hatch said.

ROCHELLE OLSON,