Tim Pawlenty is officially out of the VP race. Jonathan Martin reports that Pawlenty said this morning he will not be in Dayton, Ohio today for the VP unveiling, but was "honored to be considered":

Gov. Tim Pawlenty said this morning that he will he not be in Dayton, Ohio, this morning and strongly suggested that he won't be John McCain's running mate.

"I'm going to be at the [Minnesota] state fair," Pawlenty said on WCCO just minutes ago.

"I will not be in Dayton, Ohio, so I think that's a fair assumption," he added in an interview with the Twin Cities radio station, when asked if this was an indication that he would not be chosen.

He added: "It was an honor to be considered."

Asked if he was relieved "that the whole thing was over," he joked: "I'm glad you guys will quit following me around so much."

Just a note of interest: Drudge now has a picture of Sarah Palin at the top of the page. He has not been very accurate so far, but it makes you wonder.