Can Pawlenty be McCain’s VP after this?

I keep reading these comments by Pawlenty and shaking my head.

Say what you will about Barack Obama,” the Minnesota Republican told a conservative group, “people gravitate when you have something positive to say.” He added that McCain has been positive as well.

“People want to follow hopeful, optimistic, civil, decent leaders,” Pawlenty said in a speech to GOPAC, which helps recruit Republican candidates. “They don’t want to follow some negative, scornful person.”

Hmmm… If Pawlenty considers Obama positive, then who’s the negative, scornful person? And tossing in the “McCain’s positive, too” comment is so weak. (It’s like telling your friend Mary how pretty she looks, then after seeing your friend Nancy’s crestfallen expression saying, “You look very pretty too, Nancy.)

Ronald Reagan still offers important lessons for today’s Republican Party, Pawlenty said, because the former president was civil, optimistic, pragmatic and a good communicator.

“He actually had some ideas,” Pawlenty said, adding that the Republican idea factory has seemed “a little stagnant in recent years.”

Stagnant? But… what about McCain’s ideas?

Pawlenty, 47, said he came of age during President Reagan’s tenure in the 1980s, but acknowledged the Republican icon is ancient history to young people. “If you’re under 40, that was a long time ago, man,” he said to laughter.

A long time ago, man? Does drawing a generational line really help McCain? Talk about a one, two, three punch. I’m thinking Pawlenty is off the short list for VP… and maybe that was his plan.