[Atlanta Dan]

Originally Posted by Vis

Pawlenty has now stepped down as co-chair of Romney's campaign. Always a good sign....

He is getting a $2 million per gig on K Street - makes it easier to give up a chance to maybe be a Secretary of some department if Mitt wins

Tim Pawlenty, the former Minnesota governor and one-time GOP presidential hopeful, has a new gig as CEO of the Financial Services Roundtable, a heavy-hitter in the world of financial lobbying...

Given the campaign's recent struggles, it's not exactly a stretch of the imagination that Pawlenty was looking for an easy exit. But that doesn't appear to be the story (at least the full one) here. The high-profile Roundtable represents the interests of about 100 financial services companies—from big banks to insurance companies—and is a major player in any debate over finanical legislation on the Hill. It also doesn't hurt that Pawlenty's salary could approach $2 million, according to reports.

"I think this is the sexiest CEO job going around in the association space," Ivan Adler, a principal at the McCormick Group, an executive search firm in D.C., explained to the Hill earlier this week. "If a CEO job for an association can be sexy, this is it."

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slate...ying_firm.html