Pawlenty plays for a national audience this weekend

Gov. Tim Pawlenty is getting some serious attention after his announcement that he won't seek a third term. It seems like everyone except the man himself is stating the obvious: Pawlenty wants a place in the national spotlight. President? Vice president? Who knows?

Check out the list of his appearances outside this state this weekend.

Pawlenty will be the keynote speaker at the College Republican National Committee tonight in Washington, D.C. The convention also includes Sen. John McCain, Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, and Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele.

This afternoon, Pawlenty will appear on a live webcast with CBS's Bob Shieffer. That's at 1 p.m. Minnesota time. (via)

These appearances come after interviews on Fox News and MSNBC where he took a swing at some national political issues. It's like he's a candidate already.