On May 26, 2011, POLITICO reported:
A trail goof for Pawlenty, who fielded a question on Iran policy with an answer on Iraq policy in a video sent over by the new Democratic group American Bridge, in what seems to be its first tracking hit:
REPORTER: U.S. foreign policy towards Iran [unintelligible] how would you address contradictions in the U.S? On the one hand we are opposing Iranian policy, but on the other hand by U.S. reconfigurating that part of the world we made Iran dominating Iraq and now we are pinning it on dominating of Pakistan. How would you address this contradiction in our foreign policy?
PAWLENTY: You’re talking about Iran?
REPORTER: Exactly.
PAWLENTY: Yeah, well I think the situation now in Iran is such that Secretary Gates is negotiating with whether the United States military will be there beyond the end of this year. And they’re looking to the Iranians to see if they invite the Americans to stay, invite us to stay. And if they do invite us to stay at some very reduced level I think the United States will be wise, until we make sure that they get to the next level of stability, to accept that invitation. So if Iran makes that invitation by the end of the year, leaving a residual force, a greatly reduced force, but a residual force that would be there for a temporary amount of time. Until they could establish much better air security, until they can develop their intelligence —
REPORTER: You mean Iraq not Iran, because Iran —
PAWLENTY: I’m sorry, Iraq, yes, yes. You said — did you say Iran or Iraq?
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Published: May 26, 2011