Maybe these are the kind of results one should expect of a politician who strives to be number two. Tim Pawlenty, who's been campaigning for the vice presidency since 2004, has managed to reverse the dramatic decline in Minnesota's abortion rates that began in the 1990's when pro-choice Governors (Republican) Arne Carlson (1991-1999) and (Independent) Jesse Ventura were in power.

Rather than continuing the policies that led to those declines, Pawlenty insisted that by trying the exact opposite approach he could achieve the same results. Since taking office, Pawlenty has stripped funding for comprehensive and moderate sex-education; redirected millions in public funding from effective contraception services to "crisis pregnancy center," essentially fronts for anti-choice groups. Presto chango, a 16% surge in abortions for teenagers and 5% increase in the abortion rate overall. The "pro-lifers in power = spike in abortions" trend is true throughout the world. Sadly, Minnesotans are just the latest to find out.