Pictures Grim

Ties That Bind
Less well-known are Mr. Ryan’s close ties to the donors and activists who have channeled Tea Party anger into a $400 million political machine, financed by a network of conservative and libertarian donors that now rivals, and occasionally challenges, the Republican establishment behind Mr. Romney.

Mr. Ryan is one of a very few elected officials who have attended the Kochs’ biannual conferences, where wealthy donors sit in on seminars on runaway government spending and the myths of climate change. (NYT, 8/13/2012)

The Times intends to vigorously review the candidates' past affiliations. Excepting, of course, Obama's ties to Bill Ayers.

Moving On
...Mr. Obama has always shied away from directly debating Mr. Ryan on health care and spending. He changed the subject or moved on to someone else. The President knows that Mr. Ryan knows more about the budget and taxes than he does, and that the young Republican can argue the issues in equally moral terms. (WSJ, 8/13/2012)

Forget Ryan versus Biden, the debate we want to see is Ryan versus Obama. It would destroy forever the Liberal myth of Obama as the smartest guy in the room.

Lightly
For one thing, Ryan has no significant private-sector experience...But Ryan’s Washington experience is also light, at least for a potential President—which, after all, is the main job description of a Vice-President. Ryan has worked as a think-tank staffer and Congressman, but he’s never been in charge of a large organization, and he has little experience with foreign policy. (Ryan Lizza, The New Yorker, 8/11/2012)

When a trusted stringer initially sent us this link, we thought it was meant to showcase a new comedic talent. Imagine our surprise when we learned that Lizza is serious! But perhaps we are being too harsh and Lizza's next column will review Obama's private sector, foreign policy and "large organization" experience. Does being head of the "Choomba Group" count?