There are many interesting aspects of the Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan interview with Bob Schieffer on Sunday’s 60 Minutes, a clip of which is copied here from Salon.com. There is Ryan’s comment that he and his wife have “dedicated much of our lives to saving this country,” a comment that would suggest that the young man – described by Romney as not being ambitious – may have more than the Governor thinks. Romney further described him as a Congressman who “has been able to make things happen” because of his ability to work with Democrats, an attribute last heard when George W. Bush first campaigned for President. Without any sense of irony, Ryan, who chairs the Budget Committee for the House of Representatives (controlled by the GOP), proceeded to criticize the Senate (controlled by the Democrats) for not passing a budget in three years.
Schieffer asked if Ryan was still running to retain his Congressional seat because he was hedging his bets. Ryan’s response, which we know numerous folks are checking on, is that he “cannot get off the ballot.” The CBS correspondent later asked how many years of tax returns he had turned over to the Romney campaign. This is a question that is so obvious given Romney’s refusal to turn over more than two years’ worth (he has yet to turn over fully even one year), that Ryan had to be ready. He evaded the question, saying he would release publicly the same two years that Romney may someday release. Bob “Mad Dog” Schieffer let Ryan slide on that one and moved on to the all-important question – repeated ad nauseam in multiple media sources – about Romney’s mistakenly introducing him as the next President of the United States. Yes, the campaign that is suddenly going to be about substance cannot get away from a meaningless verbal slip. Thanks Bob.
Tom Noonan 