Republican Pawlenty raps rival Bachmann (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty, trailing in public opinion polls, criticized Republican rival Michele Bachmann on Sunday for a "non-existent" record in the U.S. Congress.

Pawlenty, a former governor of Minnesota, is competing for the same conservative voters as Bachmann in the early voting state of Iowa.

Bachmann, also from Minnesota and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, is running neck-and-neck in Iowa with front-runner Mitt Romney while Pawlenty had only 6 percent support among Republican voters in a recent poll by the Des Moines Register.

"Well, I like Congresswoman Bachmann. I've campaigned for her. I respect her, but her record of accomplishment in Congress is non-existent. It's non-existent," Pawlenty told NBC's "Meet the Press."

Bachmann has gained traction with a fiery speaking style that is altogether different from Pawlenty's laid-back manner.

"We're not looking for folks who just have speech capabilities, we're looking for people who can lead a large enterprise in a public setting and drive it to conclusion," Pawlenty said, touting his own experience as a two-term governor of Minnesota.

Pawlenty also raised questions about Romney, saying the healthcare plan he developed for Massachusetts served as a model for President Barack Obama's overhaul that Republicans want to repeal.

"I don't think we can have a nominee that was involved in the development and construction of Obamacare and then continues to defend it," he said.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Vicki Allen)

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'Golf summit' brings out Obama, top Republican (AFP)

WASHINGTON (AFP) – President Barack Obama and his most powerful Republican critic met on the green in what was billed as the first US "golf summit" involving the fierce political foes.

While Obama and House speaker John Boehner are on par in their appreciation for birdies and bogeys, they have been at loggerheads over several wedge issues including taxes, spending cuts, and operations in Libya.

But the top Washington political adversaries joined forces and in the end came out on top in a foursome that included Vice President Joe Biden and Ohio Republican Governor John Kasich.

According to aides, the president and speaker won the match on the 18th hole, and collected $2 each in a friendly wager, before enjoying a cold drink at clubhouse of the course at Andrews Air Force Base outside the US capital.

There was no immediate word about discussions on a more weighty topic -- including the political gridlock over raising the nation's debt ceiling of $14.29 trillion.

It was not clear if any political progress was made, but long walks or cart rides between shots are often seen as a way to improve relations.

"This is an opportunity that I think has value beyond the game," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters on Friday.

He added that "spending a number of hours together in that kind of environment I think can only help improve the chances of bipartisan cooperation," he said.

Boehner is among Capitol Hill's best golfers, with a 7.9 handicap, according to Golf Digest.

Obama, with a 17 handicap, is not in that league, but he has recruited Biden (6.3 handicap), who has been handling bipartisan debt ceiling talks.

Boehner recruited Kasich, reportedly an eight handicap, to round out the foursome.

While the White House has stressed that the outing is a "social" occasion, Boehner said last week that he was intrigued at the prospect of using his handicap advantage to help whittle down Washington spending.

"Mr. President, you can have all the strokes you want, it'll just cost you a trillion dollars a stroke," he quipped.

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Obama tees off against top Republican critic (AFP)

WASHINGTON (AFP) – A high-stakes golf match teed off Saturday outside Washington -- not the nearby US Open, but a first-ever round between President Barack Obama and his most powerful Republican critic.

While Obama and House speaker John Boehner are on par in their appreciation for birdies and bogeys, they have been at loggerheads over several wedge issues including taxes, spending cuts, and operations in Libya.

But few sports allow people to settle their differences like golf does.

Long walks or cart rides between shots should foster an intimacy that the White House suggests may be useful, with the two leaders relishing the opportunity to discuss key national issues while on the links.

"This is an opportunity that I think has value beyond the game," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters on Friday.

But he admitted that while politics -- specifically a showdown between Obama and Boehner over raising the $14.29 trillion debt ceiling -- would be a subtext to Saturday's Obama Invitational, in-depth talks were unlikely.

"I think I can say with great confidence that they will not wrap up the 18th hole and come out and say that we have a deal," Carney said this week.

But "spending a number of hours together in that kind of environment I think can only help improve the chances of bipartisan cooperation," he said.

"It certainly can't hurt it, unless someone wins really big."

There's a chance of that, if average stroke score is anything to go by.

Boehner is among Capitol Hill's best golfers, with a 7.9 handicap, according to Golf Digest.

Obama, with a 17 handicap, is not in that league, but he has recruited a ringer of sorts -- his playing partner is Vice President Joe Biden (6.3 handicap), who has been handling bipartisan debt ceiling talks.

Obama has another advantage in that they're playing on his home course at Andrews Air Force base.

Boehner recruited Ohio Republican Governor John Kasich, reportedly an eight handicap, to round out the foursome.

While the White House has stressed that the outing is a "social" occasion, Boehner said last week that he was intrigued at the prospect of using his handicap advantage to help whittle down Washington spending.

"Mr. President, you can have all the strokes you want, it'll just cost you a trillion dollars a stroke," he quipped.

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Republican Santorum wins South Carolina straw poll (Reuters)

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (Reuters) – Republican Rick Santorum got credit for showing up and won a 2012 presidential straw poll of party activists in the crucial early voting state of South Carolina, organizers said on Saturday.

Santorum, a conservative from Pennsylvania, was the only presidential candidate to attend the South Carolina party's annual dinner on Friday night. He won 150 out of 408 votes cast in the presidential preference poll of dinner attendees.

That trounced second-place finisher Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, who received 61 votes. In third place was former pizza executive Herman Cain with 44 votes.

Three others finished with more than 20 votes -- real estate tycoon Donald Trump with 29, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who has repeatedly said he will not run, with 22 and U.S. Representative Michelle Bachmann with 22.

Many South Carolina Republicans were annoyed that the party's highest profile candidates skipped the first 2012 Republican presidential debate they sponsored on Thursday. It was attended by five lesser known candidates.

Those five -- Santorum, Cain, U.S. Representative Ron Paul, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson -- were invited to speak at the dinner, but only Santorum showed up.

"To those who didn't come, you get a pass this time but you sure as hell better come next time," Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said at the dinner.

Votes in the poll were cast for a total of 16 different potential candidates in a slow-starting and unsettled Republican nominating race that has not produced a clear front-runner.

The other candidates to register in double-digits in the poll were former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee with 16 and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels with 15.

Others who tallied single-digit totals included Paul with 8, Pawlenty with 7, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin with 6 and former U.S. ambassador to China Jon Huntsmann with 4.

(Reporting by John Whitesides; Editing by Chris Wilson)

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