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Pawlenty: On foreign policy, Romney would be stronger than Obama

Pawlenty: On foreign policy, Romney would be stronger than Obama
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POSTED: Thursday, June 7, 2012 - 4:00am

UPDATED: Thursday, June 7, 2012 - 4:14am

Resolute not to discuss his prospects as a vice presidential running mate for Mitt Romney, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said on CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer" Wednesday that Romney would be a better commander in chief than President Barack Obama has been.

"His drone strikes and killing of Osama Bin Laden obviously are positives, but they don't go far enough," Pawlenty said in an interview.

Some polls have shown voters favoring Obama over Romney on foreign policy matters, though the surveys also show the electorate considers the economy to be issue number one.

Pawlenty weighted in on suggestions that the White House was involved in - or at least not preventing - leaks of classified national security information which, when public, could have positive political implications for President Obama.

"If any of that is true, Wolf, it is a very serious charge and a very serious circumstance," he said.

Romney's foreign policy platform would include a strengthened Navy, Pawlenty said, as well as avoiding a budget sequestration which would "gut our American military."

"Mitt Romney would be as tough or tougher on those measures and more," he said.

Pawlenty, considered to be a finalist in the 2008 Republican veepstakes, declined to say whether he was being vetted as a possible running mate by Romney's campaign.

But he did offer some names which he thought would likely be considered: Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, and Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio.

"As to me personally," he said, "I think I can help best in other ways, but obviously anybody, if asked, would be honored."

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