All signs point to the likelihood that Gov. Tim Pawlenty plans a run for president in 2012. Fortunately, there remains quite a bit of time before that election, and if the governor will use that time to shore up a key weakness it will help both him and his current constituents.

Gov. Pawlenty has always done an excellent job of making clear where he stands on core issues, and he has been active these past several months making sure that it is not only Minnesotans who know where he stands on taxes, government’s role and other key topics. His values are clear, and the governor has stood by them more firmly than most politicians do.

Yet while Gov. Pawlenty has mostly stuck to his conservative guns, he has almost never been able to bridge the gap between his own beliefs and those of the people with whom he shares power. The governor’s tenure has been marked by failure after failure at the Capitol because he simply cannot — or will not — find common ground with Minnesota’s legislators. Minnesota’s government is meant to be one where the governor and lawmakers cooperate to design laws and policies that benefit the state. That has not happened, and while lawmakers certainly must bear some of the blame, it is the governor who is aiming for higher office. If he cannot find a way to work through the government process with Minnesota’s legislators, how will he ever find a path to success in the far more complex and far more divisive arena of Washington, D.C.?

It would benefit all Minnesotans if Gov. Pawlenty would demonstrate, during the next legislative session, that he can work with others. Simply staking out a position and refusing to waver has never been a recipe for presidential success. And it has not really worked here in Minnesota, where a big chunk of state government spending has been decided by Pawlenty alone, after he effectively bypassed the legislative process.

Gov. Pawlenty’s credentials as a conservative are clear. We hope that he will use the remainder of his time as governor to build credentials as a leader who can work with others.