Gov. Tim Pawlenty has released a new video on his website today that's half-biography, half-campaign ad subtlety laying out his case to be the Republican presidential nominee in 2012.

The three-minute video does not discuss a potential presidential run (though images of the White House are mixed in). But it's the latest sign that Pawlenty is gearing up to take on former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and the rest of the Republican presidential hopefuls in 2012.

Starting with clips of Pawlenty playing hockey, the video makes the case that Pawlenty's humble beginnings in Minnesota make him an ideal candidate to draw voters to the Republican Party.

"When people say, 'Oh you Republicans, you don't understand us, you haven't walked in our shoes," Pawlenty says in the video. "I can look them right in the eye and say, 'Yes I have. I've walked exactly in those shoes.'"

The content echoes the remarks Pawlenty made to national reporters in Washington earlier this week about the GOP smashing its stereotype of being "middle-aged, white guy CEOs."

The video transitions to Pawlenty's argument against the current size of government and federal spending — cutting to a shot of Rep. Michele Bachmann. It culminates with a classical music-fused montage mixing Pawlenty speech footage with images of past Republican presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan.

Pawlenty says he will make a decision on whether he's running for president early next year.

Watch the video below: