Oohh, I feel the excitement in the air, wait.., ok, it’s gone now...  DES MOINES — Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota formally opened his bid for the Republican presidential nomination on Monday with a sharp critique of President Obama’s policies, leadership and character, presenting himself as a candidate who could unify his fractious party and win back the White House. “It’s time for a new approach,” Mr. Pawlenty said. “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.”
One day after Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana said he would not join the Republican race, Mr. Pawlenty used his announcement here as an opportunity to seize the spotlight in a Republican presidential campaign that is among the most wide open in decades. He sought to persuade donors and party leaders, who had been urging Mr. Daniels to run, to join his effort to win the nomination.

Mr. Pawlenty selected Iowa to announce his candidacy, which he has been exploring for more than a year in frequent visits to the state that opens the Republican nominating contest. Iowa is critical to his strategy for winning the nomination, advisers said, and to his hopes of emerging as the leading alternative to Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts.
With the State Capitol as the backdrop, Mr. Pawlenty presented a new policy message here Monday, including challenging the state’s sacred ethanol subsidies. He said the nation’s debt burden meant that all areas – including Iowa’s farmers who have grown accustomed to subsidies – must be reconsidered.
“The truth about federal energy subsidies, including federal subsidies for ethanol, is that they have to be phased out,” Mr. Pawlenty said. “We need to do it gradually. We need to do it fairly. But we need to do it.”
While Mr. Pawlenty kept his focus squarely on Mr. Obama, the themes of his introductory speech also offered a glimpse into how he intends to distinguish himself from the field of Republican candidates. He made repeated references to honesty, truth and his ability to acknowledge when he makes a mistake.
In a 20-minute address, which was one of the first times that Mr. Pawlenty used a Tele-prompter while campaigning, Mr. Pawlenty did not mention any of his fellow Republican candidates by name. But there was little doubt that he was referring to Mr. Romney, whom he views as one of his top rivals.
“I know how to do health care reform right,” Mr. Pawlenty said. “I’ve done it at the state level. No mandates, no takeovers, and it’s the opposite of Obamacare.”
Mr. Romney, who is visiting Iowa on Friday for the first time this year, has faced criticism from Republicans about the health care plan he signed into law as governor of Massachusetts, which is similar to the national plan that Mr. Obama signed last year.
Mr. Pawlenty, a former two-term governor, is relatively unknown outside Minnesota. For nearly two years, he has been traveling across the country, introducing himself to Republican contributors and influential activists. He has sought to appeal to a wide constituency, including members of the Tea Party movement, establishment Republicans and evangelical Christians.
“I’ll unite our party and unite our nation,” Mr. Pawlenty said. As a crowd of supporters applauded, he added: “Leadership in a time of crisis isn’t about telling people what you think they want to hear. It’s about telling the truth.”
In addition to his address, Mr. Pawlenty opened a town-hall-style meeting on the roof of the Iowa Historical Building in downtown Des Moines, where a couple hundred people gathered under a warm noon sun. He took serious questions from the crowd on immigration, foreign policy and health care. He paused at one point to tell a man, “You should use some SPF, by the way,” referring to sunscreen lotion.
His speech used the word “truth” 16 times, a word that he intends to make a theme of his campaign as he sought to draw attention to his willingness to tackle difficult challenges.
“Conventional wisdom says you can’t talk about ethanol in Iowa or Social Security in Florida or financial reform on Wall Street,” Mr. Pawlenty said. “But someone has to say it. Someone has to finally stand up and level with the American people. Someone has to lead. I will.”  (read snore)