Politico is highlighting potential Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty's criticism of Sarah Palin -- a Fox News contributor, and potential GOP presidential candidate - for using the image of crosshairs on a map identifying vulnerable congressional districts during the 2010 election, including the district of Tucson, Arizona, shooting victim Gabrielle Giffords:

Possible Republican presidential hopeful Tim Pawlenty took a jab at Sarah Palin, saying he wouldn't have used gun crosshairs to target Rep Gabrielle Giffords and others.

“It would not have been my style to put the crosshairs on there,” he said on Good Morning America on Tuesday, referring to a map like the one posted last year on Sarah PAC's website showing crosshairs on Giffords and other lawmakers who supported health care reform.

“But then again, there's no evidence to suggest that had anything to do with this mentally unstable person's rage and senseless acts.”

“I wouldn't have done it,” the former Minnesota governor told The New York Times on Monday when asked if he would have created a map like the one posted last year on Sarah PAC's website showing crosshairs on lawmakers who supported health care reform.

Palin has faced criticism in the days since the shooting of Giffords for targeting the Arizona Democrat's district and a national debate has broken out over the use of violent imagery and language in the country's political discourse.

Like Palin, Pawlenty is seriously considering a bid for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.

Fox Nation is also highlighting Pawlenty's criticism.