The "I wasn't lying; I was just confused!" argument works incredibly well in politics. Not so much anywhere else.

Regardless of one's politics, the national debt is too serious to play around with. Ryan has a plan and the guts to make it work. The consequences for not doing the hard thing is unthinkable ... But on our current trajectory, utterly predictable. If this (below) doesn't get people to sit up and take notice, nothing will.

http://wn.com/us_budget_dilemma

Nolo: Every word of your comment is wrong. There is no debt problem for a country like the U.S. that prints its own currency. If there were, then the people who gave us tax cuts for the rich, two wars and a giant goverrnment giveaway to the pharmaceutical companies, and the people who embrace their party, would have second thoughts. Ryan, incidentally, voted for all of these things at the time. Furthermore, he has no plan. Just a bunch of blather that obfuscates his intent to dismantle the country's social safety net, ragged as it is. HIs dissembling on stimulus is indefensible (he also voted for the Bush stimulus and advocated for the Republicans' proposed $710 billion stimulus that was the alternative to Obama's $787 billion stimulus. Pull your head out, Nolo, and see what's really going on.

If neither the right nor left have a plan to bring down the deficit (except by creating hyper-inflation with funny money), we're all sc***ed.

Doesn't anyone actually vet the Reps VP choice?

Ryan's out on the road, slamming the deficit and he voted for trillions of dollars of hand outs.

Even Biden can skewer him in a debate

Excuse me, I meant to say debt, not deficit, though that works too.

Just practice saying "Vice-President Ryan" and you'll be fine.

Allan, you might be well-served to glance in a mirror prior to advising others here to Pull your head out...and see what's really going on.

It apparently has escaped your notice that, unlike Obama, who has stated that he doesn't need no steekin' Congressional approval to engage in wars all over the planet, Dubya sought, and obtained, Congressional approval. And Hillary, the Ketchup guy, and "great hair" Edwards were among the many Democrats who gave their assent.

It has likewise apparently escaped your attention that Obama publicly asserted that he has "full authority" to order the killing of U.S. citizens that he considers a threat - and you can forget about that Constitutional claptrap, like right to trial.

You may be unaware that the medical and pharmaceutical establishments were deeply involved in the Obamacare legislation.

As well, you are apparently perfectly comfortable with programs such as "Operation Fast and Furious" - conducted without the knowledge of Mexican authorities, condemned by their President - and which resulted in thousands of dead Mexicans and at least two American agents.

Freddie's will have mirrors on sale tomorrow.

I'm hardly a Ryan fan, but I don't see a real problem with his actions regarding the stimulus.

He voted against federal outlays he didn't believe in. He lost. The feds started dealing out the dollars. At that point, if you're a Congresscritter, it is your JOB to get in there and bring back as much pork as you can for your district.

There is no debt problem for a country like the U.S. that prints its own currency. If there were, then the people who gave us tax cuts for the rich, two wars and a giant goverrnment giveaway to the pharmaceutical companies, and the people who embrace their party, would have second thoughts.

Which people are those?

Are you referring to the politicians who consistently prioritize short term partisan political advantage over nation's financial solvency?

Or the billionaires that have taken most of their wealth offshore so that they could weather a complete financial collapse?

Which people are those?

Don't be willfully obtuse. They are the people I described.

Don't be willfully obtuse. They are the people I described.

If I was obtuse, it wasn't willful in this case.

You didn't identify any specific actor only actions, so I tried to read between the lines and made a goodfaithed guess that you were referring to either:

A) the politicians (maybe just the Republican ones) who voted for/implemented the actions you listed, or

B) the superwealthy interests (that may have guided those actions).

Were you referring to some other identifiable group of actors?

Allan, I was trying to take your comment seriously. If you were just blaming "The Man" then own it and I'll leave the comment alone.

Pancho, I guess this stuff makes me unreasonably cranky, and I apologize for that. I have in mind mostly the Republicans who have made this incredible mess (remember when Alan Greenspan worried that with no national debt there would be no treasury securities for the swells to invest in?), the Democrats who, thinking they owed a sitting president some deference or at least the benefit of the doubt, went along with the tax cuts and the wars, and again the Republicans who made it their mission to block and oppose whatever the current president set out to do, for no better reason than to cause him to fail. All this has cost endless unnecessary suffering and loss. I need to express myself emphatically about it. Mostly I get a lot of nonsense in response (see, e.g., Max above, who seems to prefer Romney-Ryan on foreign policy even as they reveal themselves to be feckless and dangerous clowns on the world stage) and in trying to keep to the point I've become impatient and rude. Some would call it shrill. Whatever it is, I am sorry to have misdirected it at you.

Regardless of one's politics, the national debt is too serious to play around with. Ryan has a plan and the guts to make it work.

Apparently you missed the Brit Hume interview: http://mobile.rawstory.com/therawstory/#!/entry/ryan-mocked-in-media-for-inability-to-defend-his-own,502be1c87af68a84dc8a59be

When asked by Hume when his budget would be balanced, Ryan said:

"Well I don't know exactly when it balances because - I don't want to get wonky on you, but we haven't run the numbers on that specific plan."

Even the best possible projections - based upon the hugely optimistic parameters specified by Ryan - don't show his budget balancing until 2040! And that's only by cutting every program other than defense to the bare core, if not completely out. This is a plan??

And if Ryan didn't feel duplicitous in taking stimulus money, why did he lie about it? I see that as the greater issue. Another lying, entitled sack-o-shite who thinks we're all too stupid to fact check. All the people who (rightly) railed here against the media hack Matt Yglesias should be as outraged now at Ryan as well.

Mostly I get a lot of nonsense in response (see, e.g., Max above, who seems to prefer Romney-Ryan on foreign policy even as they reveal themselves to be feckless and dangerous clowns on the world stage)

Really, Allan the insulting? Maybe if you actually thought, rather than running around telling people to pull their heads out, there would be some potential for actual dialogue. Nah - evidently, that's too much for you.

Defend your Messiah if you can. The guy who claims to have full authority to murder USA citizens. Then talk about feckless and dangerous clowns. And be sure to bow.

Max: Honest question, and this is no defense of Obama. I think he's horribly wrong on this issue. But...
Do you think Romney/Ryan would relinquish that power now that Obama has claimed it for the executive?

Ex - I doubt it, but then I have no faith in politicians in general. Would they use it as frequently as the current administration has? That seems unlikely to me.

What should happen is that Congress enact legislation clarifying that the executive does not have kill authority; affirming right to trial. Unfortunately, I doubt that'll happen, either.

Two words - Joe Biden.

I love Joltin' Joe. "With your help, we can win North Carolina!" He said, in Virginia.