Yesterday we learned that the Democratic National Committee has requested documents from the Pentagon that Democrats hope will contain embarrassing or controversial information pertaining to nine potential Republican 2012 contenders.

Well, today one of those potential contenders — Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty — is returning fire with FOIA requests of his own. Pawlenty wants to know how much of a role the DNC had in promoting the federal government’s takeover of health care. And so he’s using the transparency law to request pertinent information from multiple federal agencies.

Pawlenty:

“Next weeks election isn’t even here – and it will largely be a referendum on the Presidents failure to create jobs, out of control government spending, and an ill-conceived health care bill – but I find it ironic that they have given up the current fight and are instead so focused on the President’s own re-election.

But since they asked, and since they are so worried, I have some questions of my own about his time in the White House. For example, what was the DNC’s role in selling Obamacare? Did Obama’s political advisers know the true costs of Obamacare?”

Heh. It’s a good move, and the posturing appears to be yet another sign that Pawlenty is gearing up for a run in 2012. It would appear the DNC was right in putting his name on the potential contender list.