As noted here, senior U.S. officials are trying to argue that Syria is other than a ruthless and bloody dictatorship. On my radio program Monday, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty blasted that idea and Secretary of State Clinton specifically, and also encouraged House Republicans to force the spending issue now and not later. Pawlenty also seemed to say he wouldn’t be attending the NBC-Politico debate in early May. The transcript of our conversation is here.

Politico’s story on Pawlenty’s statements neglected to mention his comments on the debate that MSNBC’s parent wants to hold with the internet site.