Capitol View

Wikipedia locks Pawlenty page following Colbert stunt

Posted at 10:29 AM on August 8, 2012 by Mark Zdechlik
Filed under: Campaign 2012: Presidential Race, Tim Pawlenty

The on-line encyclopedia Wikipedia locked former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty's page early Wednesday morning following Tuesday 's night's Colbert Report during which Stephen Colbert said he was editing the Pawlenty page.

Colbert told his audience he was changing the page to read that Pawlenty was the son of "Mrs. Butterworth" and that Pawlenty "started his career in Santa's workshop," among other things. Finally the political satirist said he wrote, "On August 10, 2012 Tim Pawlenty was named Mitt Romney's running mate."

As the Romney campaign gets close to naming a vice presidential candidate, speculation about who it will be has turned to Wikipedia and the number of times the pages of potential VP picks are edited.

In a fundraising email send Wednesday, the Romney campaign indicated the choice will be announced soon. "In just a few days, one lucky supporter will win the remarkable opportunity to meet Dad and his VP pick in person," wrote Craig Romney.

Pawlenty is said to be among those under consideration. Here's the segment from the Colbert Report:

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Mitt Romney's Protective Pool & Running Mate Clues
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full EpisodesPolitical Humor & Satire BlogVideo Archive



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The feature examines statements made by Minnesota politicians and checks them for accuracy. Based on data analysis, document reviews and interviews with non-partisan analysts, statements are rated true, misleading, false or inconclusive. More

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