Tim Pawlenty officially enters GOP presidential race

May 24, 2011, 08:03 by R.E. Christian

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty officially began his presidential campaign Monday in the neighboring key state of Iowa.

"We've tried President Obama's way ... and his way has failed," he said at the State Historical Society in Des Moines.

"Three years into his term, we're no longer just running out of money. We're running out of time," The Hill quoted Pawlenty as saying. "It's time for America's president, and anyone who wants to be president, to look you in the eye and tell you the truth."

In a risky statement for corn-belt Iowa, he called for phasing out ethanol subsidies, Politico reported.

"We need to get government out," he said. "We also need the government out of the business of handing out favors and special deals. � We need to phase out subsidies across all sources of energy and all industries, including ethanol. We simply can't afford them anymore."

As governor of Minnesota, Pawlenty said, he had cut ethanol subsidies, and he promised they could be drawn down "gradually" and "fairly."

On Tuesday, he is heading to senior-heavy Florida, where he will call for a "gradual" increase in the Social Security retirement age.

Source: UPI