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Former Gov. Pawlenty Takes Aim At Obama At RNC

TAMPA, Fla. (WCCO/AP) -- Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty sent some unexpected zingers at President Obama at the Republican National Convention Wednesday night.

"President Obama isn't as bad as people say, he's actually worse," Pawlenty said. "The president takes more vacations than that guy on the Bizarre Foods show. And I'll give Barack Obama credit for creating jobs these last four years for golf caddies."

"That guy on the Bizarre Foods show," of course, being our very own Andrew Zimmern. Zimmern responded to Pawlenty's speech on his blog, saying in part, "The President doesn't need me to remind the world that he never takes a day off. I had the privilege of seeing that up close and personal at the White House last spring when he spent half of a holiday working away while his family took care of his personal commitments."

Pawlenty's speech also included calling Obama "the tattoo president" -- like a big tattoo, he said it seemed cool when you were young, but later on the decision doesn't seem so good.

The former presidential candidate told the RNC crowd that Mitt Romney would create middle-class jobs by lowering taxes and leading a government that works for the American people.

He said between things like taxes, Obamacare, the stimulus and Joe Biden, it's hard to choose Obama's worst mistake.

Pawlenty was passed over as Romney's running mate, but the former Romney rival has been active campaigning for the GOP presidential nominee.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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