Tim Pawlenty, unlike Mitt Romney, did not mention George W. Bush in his speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference today. But in an interview after his remarks, the Minnesota governor said he "absolutely" agreed with Romney that the former president would, in his own words, be remembered "more fondly" over time.

"I think President Bush was a leader with strong convictions who proposed big changes in entitlement programs. Unfortunately the Congress, including for a period of time the Republican Congress, didn't adopt those approaches," Pawlenty told the Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody shortly after his speech, which RCP sat in on.

Pawlenty also lauded his actions that ultimately led to a democratic Iraq, which he described as "relatively stable." And since 9/11, the nation did not see new attacks from international terrorists.

"For those reasons and others I think President Bush will remembered much more fondly," he said.

Pawlenty did not have the most favorable speaking slot among the presidential hopefuls here, and his speech was met politely but not overly enthusiastically by an early morning crowd here. Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann drew a more spirited reaction in an afternoon speech.

Pawlenty's moment was noted primarily for his reference to the Tiger Woods press conference scheduled to take place after he spoke. He otherwise continued to introduce himself to these activists, and outlined some key principles that guided him, including the notion that "God is in charge," and that government can't spend more than it has.

"If government spending were an Olympic sport, he would be a repeat gold medalist," he quipped.

Acknowledging he likely won't perform well in the straw poll being conducted this weekend at CPAC, Pawlenty said Republicans ought to focus on 2010 first.

"For me personally, I haven't decided what I'm going to do for 2012, and what I do know is that most people around the country don't know who I am so I don't do well in straw polls," he said. "My focus is how can we help like-minded candidates [who share our values] in 2010."

Pawlenty has a busy weekend in the nation's capital, including a low-dollar fundraiser aimed at younger voters tonight that will feature Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell. He's also attending events for both the Republican Governors Association and National Governors Association in town.