GOP Extravaganza in Minneapolis! Palin, Pawlenty, Bachmann, and Hannity

It's a big day for big-time Republicans in Minnesota, perhaps the biggest since the 2008 Republican National Convention.

Sarah Palin, Rep. Michele Bachmann, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty will all appear at a rally today at the Minneapolis Convention Center. It's a Palin/Bachmann-centric event, hosted by the Minnesota GOP, and it will see Palin make good on her pledge to campaign for Bachmann's reelection bid.

And Sean Hannity will be there too. Hannity has a new book out, "Conservative Victory," which he's been promoting. Today, he'll tape his show from the Minneapolis Convention Center and interview Palin, Bachmann, and Pawlenty.

There will also be a fundraiser (closed to press), which Palin will keynote, but Pawlenty will be there too.

Palin and Bachmann are natural allies; they both comport a tea-party brand of conservatism and "common sense" values. (Maybe because they're both women, they're both mothers, and they both come from very cold places?) Who knows why, but their politics and appeal are similar, and they've forged an alliance.

Pawlenty, one could say, is the odd man out here. He's not as aggressive in his conservatism as Palin or Bachmann--he's been a Sam's Club conservative, so they say, as governor--but he has presented his conservative credentials to the broader political audience, and he has looked to slash spending from Minnesota's budget, which the 2012 GOP primary electorate will like. So maybe he's the odd man out in a room with Palin and Bachmann, but not quite a sore thumb. He's a heavyweight, and he's the governor, and he's gonna be there. And the Palin/Bachmann crowd (both in attendance at the event and watching Hannity from home) will hear what he has to say.