Cable news stations…were reporting Palin as McCain’s pick before the senator gave Pawlenty a courtesy call…After he hung up, Pawlenty writes, he decided to take his dog for a walk. “As I put the little bag over my hand and bent down to pick up her poop, I thought to myself, well, this is the only number two I’ll be picking up today.”

Republican Tim Pawlenty, trying to carve out a national identity as he tilts toward a presidential campaign, sculpts an image as a faith-based politician in a memoir infused with Bible verses and the flavor of his blue-collar upbringing.

The former Minnesota governor is out with “Courage to Stand: An American Story,” a 301-page autobiography that concludes with a stinging critique of President Barack Obama and a glimpse at what can be viewed as a 2012 platform.

“If I can help to shape America’s future for the better in any small way, then it is my duty, and my honor to serve in whatever capacity I can,” is as close as he comes in the book to announcing a campaign. He has said he will probably hold back on a final decision until March.

Tuesday is the book’s official release, but The Associated Press purchased copies Thursday from store shelves in Roseville, Minn., and Madison, Wis.

…Pawlenty, who was raised Catholic and later converted to an evangelical church with Baptist roots, heavily emphasizes religion. It’s befitting a book from Christian publisher Tyndale House Publishers and a possible political calculation for someone sizing up a White House bid since ruling out a third term as governor.

Read More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/06/AR2011010605617.html

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