Pawlenty explains New Hampshire debate gaffe

Tim Pawlenty went into further depth Thursday about why he declined to go after Mitt Romney during Monday’s GOP presidential primary debate. 

Earlier on Thursday, the former Minnesota governor admitted he made a mistake by laying off Romney for the healthcare law he passed as governor of Massachusetts, which has been compared to President Obama’s healthcare law. Later Thursday, he expanded on why he made that error.

{mosads}”I think in response to that direct question, I should have been much more clear during the debate, Sean,” Pawlenty explained to Fox News’s Sean Hannity. “I don’t think we can have a nominee that was involved in the development and construction of ObamaCare and then continues to defend it. And that was the question; I should’ve answered it directly. Instead, I stayed focused on Obama.”

Pawlenty took heat from pundits and strategists on both sides of the aisle for failing to prosecute his case against Romney at the debate.

Pawlenty originally rebutted his critics, who said the move showed signs of weakness, but the candidate who promised to “tell the truth” during his campaign eventually fessed up to making a mistake.

Romney has rejected those who claim his plan hews too closely to Obama’s, saying that his took place on the state level and that Obama’s federal law is too restrictive.

But Pawlenty looked to shift into offense, saying that the former Massachusetts governor will have difficultly appearing credible in his opposition to Obama’s healthcare law, a main issue in the 2012 race.

“I don’t think you can prosecute the political case against President Obama if you are a co-conspirator in one of the main charges against the president on a political level,” he said. “And so it really puts our nominee, if that’s who it turns out to be, in a very difficult spot. And I understand that Gov. Romney argument, that it is different at the state level. When you look at these two plans, with only modest variations, they are very similar and nearly identical.”

Pawlenty on Friday also sent out a fundraising email to supporters that admitted his gaffe and went after Romney on healthcare.

“Last night I was on Fox News with Sean Hannity to discuss the clear differences I have with ObamaCare and some of my primary opponents,” he wrote. “I understand what needs to be done, and we will get the job done.”

— This post was updated at 10:27 a.m.