Once and future candidates strut their stuff on Xcel stage

ST. PAUL — Republicans with at least one eye on 2012 or 2016 had their turn under the spotlight on the third night of the Republican National Convention.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney took the stage back-to-back before former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani delivered his keynote address.

{mosads}They were followed by Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the GOP vice presidential nominee who has taken a star turn at the convention and who hopes for a job that is traditionally a springboard to the presidency.

Romney, Huckabee and Giuliani also made the rounds of receptions and parties this week with a number of others who may harbor presidential ambitions, including Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

Only a couple potential presidential players were notable by their absence.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, whose family ties to the president make his presence a risk for the party, was not in the Twin Cities. Neither was Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who has been a prominent McCain spokesman but is dealing with Hurricane Gustav and its aftermath.

None of those in the Twin Cities talked openly about their plans for 2012 or 2016, but that was the subtext of their high profiles this week. Even if Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is elected president, the 72-year-old has made clear that running for a second term isn’t a given.

Romney, who since exiting the race has helped McCain raise millions, held several fundraisers for House and Senate candidates while he was in the Twin Cities.

Romney told Fox News on Wednesday afternoon that he’s not thinking about future presidential elections: “It’s certainly impossible to think of that course at this stage,” he said.

Huckabee, the improbable victor in this year’s Iowa caucuses who launched his political action committee, Huck PAC, in April, said Tuesday that he wasn’t laying any groundwork for a future run: “Right now, there’s only one thing we’re all trying to do, and that’s make sure that our team wins.”

Romney and Huckabee attacked Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) in their speeches, but also sought to burnish their conservative credentials in front of the party’s faithful.

Romney hacked away at the perception, which at times hampered his 2008 bid, that he has not been conservative enough. He said the country needs conservative change and suggested Washington’s problems were the result of liberal dominance.

{mospagebreak}“Is a Supreme Court liberal or conservative that awards Guantanamo terrorists with Constitution rights? It’s liberal,” Romney said. “Is a government liberal or conservative that puts the interests of the teachers’ union ahead of the needs of our children? It’s liberal.”

Huckabee, who ran as a populist in the presidential nominating contest, drew opposition from the economically conservative Club for Growth, which repeatedly derided him as a big-government tax-raiser.

In his remarks, Huckabee stressed keeping government out of people’s lives, noting his own poor roots and his determination to create a better future for himself without government getting in the way.

{mosads}Giuliani circled back to the themes of his campaign — national security and, more specifically, the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

He criticized Democrats for not making that day more a part of their convention last week in Denver.

“For four days in Denver, the Democrats were afraid to use the words ‘Islamic terrorism,’ ” Giuliani said. “During those same four days in Denver, the Democrats rarely mentioned the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. They are in a state of denial about the biggest threat that faces this country.”

Giuliani had the biggest night of the three, commanding the crowd, which was alternately laughing, cheering and chanting, as he picked apart Obama’s record.

Defending Palin, he suggested her time as mayor of a town of 10,000 in Alaska isn’t good enough for Obama because “it’s not cosmopolitan enough.” He then referenced Obama’s controversial statement about small-town Pennsylvania voters who “cling to religion.”

Other potential candidates also made their mark this week.

Pawlenty, who spoke Tuesday, laughed off speculation Wednesday morning about 2012 or 2016 but noted that his foray into national politics has gone well.

“We’ve been doing a lot of different things in terms of hosting events or media interviews and talking to the delegates. The reception’s been very warm and positive,” Pawlenty said. “We haven’t encouraged, nor has anybody suggested, anything like you’re asking.”

Former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.), who also addressed the convention Tuesday night, announced Wednesday the forming of a political action committee, Fred PAC.

Wednesday night’s festivities also included remarks by three prominent GOP women, former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle, the last of whom landed a big speaking spot before Giuliani.

Romney implicitly attacked Michelle Obama, saying that “there has never been a day when I was not proud to be an American” — a reference to a controversial remark Michelle Obama made this year about being proud of her county for the first time.

Even before he delivered the remark, Romney drew heat for attacking the candidate’s wife. Obama’s campaign noted that the Illinois senator said family was off-limits after Palin revealed this week that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant.

Palin offered similar remarks in her speech, saying small-town Americans “are always proud of America.”