Pawlenty: Obama Projecting Weakness To World

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty says bullies and world leaders respect strength, not weakness, and President Barack Obama needs to stop apologizing to the nation's enemies.

Pawlenty, a potential White House challenger to Obama in two years, told conservatives on Friday that Obama has excelled at duping reporters into comparing him to Republican President Ronald Reagan. Pawlenty says Reagan knew how to stare down America's enemies, a skill Obama lacks.

Pawlenty is telling the Conservative Political Action Conference that Obama is acting like former President Jimmy Carter, who lost re-election to Reagan in 1980.

Pawlenty says the United States must never stop fighting for freedom or apologize for its greatness.