… and the News

Matt K. Lewis Senior Contributor
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I’m so far ahead of the curve that I’ve already commented on most of the things worth commenting on today. But that won’t stop me. Here are five things to keep an eye on today…

1. Former Vice President Dick Cheney is in the news for his running mate selection advice. Regarding how to pick a veep, Cheney said: “I think the single most important criteria has to be the capacity to be president – that’s why you pick them.”

This, of course, is hard to argue with. But as I recently noted, selecting a running mate at least partially for political purposes has generally gotten a bum rap.

2. In other news, today is the Armenian Genocide Commemoration Day. As Jake Tapper notes, “President Obama has for the fourth time in a row broken his promise to the Armenian community to use the word ‘genocide’ in describing what happened at the hands of the Turks roughly a century ago.”

There are good arguments for — and against — America recognizing the Armenian Genocide. And to be sure, Obama is not the first president to dodge the issue. As I wrote at Politics Daily two years ago:

President Ronald Reagan sought such moral clarity. Just as he pointedly called the Soviet Union an “evil empire,” Reagan did not mince words on this issue. Upon his death, the Armenian National Committee of America noted: “We will remember President Reagan as the last U.S. President to properly commemorate the Armenian genocide.”

3. Today is also primary election day in several states, and Newt Gingrich is hinting that if he doesn’t win Delaware, he might drop out of the race.

I hate to say, “I told you so,” but Newt should have taken my advice and exited the race more than a month ago. As I wrote at the time,

Newt Gingrich surprised us all by taking a shoestring campaign all the way into March of 2012. He won South Carolina, and his home state of Georgia. He should be proud of the campaign he has run. But if he wants to remain proud of his efforts, it’s important to go out in a classy manner.

… It’s a little too late to do the right thing now.

4. Speaking of classy, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntmsan is back in the news, this time for attacking the GOP and boasting about his refusal to “pander” for votes.

As I’ve noted before, this isn’t necessarily admirable. Refusing to pander might mean you’re a straight-shooter — but it also might mean you’re just an elitist jerk: “Refusing to pander is tantamount to saying: “I’m not going to lower myself by engaging in the messy work of politics.'”

5. Huntsman’s comments also sparked a conversation on Tuesday’s episode of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” about whether the country is ready for a serious discussion about a third party. As I recently wrote, “there is a politically underrepresented ‘populist’ constituency in America.” Read all about it here.

Matt K. Lewis