Tim Pawlenty annouced this morning that he was ending his campaign for President.  Disappointed with 3rd place showing yesterday in the Iowa Straw Poll, and with new competition from Texas Governor Rick Perry, Pawlenty decided it was better to fold now.

His organization in Iowa looked pretty strong, with busloads of enthusiastic supporters.  And, most political observers expected Pawlenty to do well in coming weeks as the GOP race moves into New Hampshire. Pawlenty’s blend of fiscal conservatism appeals to the moderate wing of the Republican Party.  But the race to the right, a position Pawlenty never really appeared comfortable with, a race shared with Michele Bachmann (and now crowded with the addition of Perry) proves the deciding factor for dropping out.

The good old days of Walter Cronkite – and a news media that was largely trusted by the public – are long behind us. Today, with cable news and the internet, the louder and more extreme your viewpoint, the more likely your voice will actually be heard.

Among the new generation of TV pundits is Republican author/columnist S.E. Cupp. She plays the media game and plays it well, appearing regularly on Fox News, MSNBC and CNN. We recently sat down with Cupp to discuss her views on such charged topics as Prop 8, the Ground Zero mosque, and the myth that all conservatives are prudes.

Check it out in the latest episode of our series on the political voices of today, Open Mic.

Here’s a guy we’ve covered before–we saw what happened in South Carolina, up close and in person, in 2000. So when we got a shot to ask Sen. McCain….well, see for yourself.