Depressing Republicans

Keep 'em coming:

On a day when DFL gubernatorial candidate Mike Hatch locked up his third quick labor endorsement, an uncharacteristically downbeat Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty acknowledged that his party is "on the ropes" nationally and that he would consider himself "lucky to get reelected."

In a frank and wide-ranging interview with Minnesota Public Radio on Thursday morning, Pawlenty denied that he has any national political ambitions and downplayed the notion that Minnesota had trended Republican.

"I'll be lucky to get reelected governor in Minnesota next year," he said on MPR's Midmorning Show.

An interesting re-election strategy, to say the least.