Gov. Tim Pawlenty hasn’t been shy about saying he thinks the stimulus plan is a waste of taxpayer money, but on Sunday he was on CNN’s “State of the Union” show and said he’ll take it anyway.

“In Minnesota’s case, we have a situation where we pay into the federal government way more than we take out, so we are not going to be bashful about getting our fair share,” Pawlenty said. “But we do lend voice to how we think this money could be most effectively spent. We hope that those voices will be heard as the debate continues.”

The Washington Times, in its Inside Politics column, notes that when asked by the program’s John King whether he would “take a principled stand” and reject any stimulus money for his state, the governor said he would have no qualm about accepting his state’s portion of the package.