. the decision is made. >> it's an hon hor to announce my running mate and the next vice president of the united states, paul ryan. >> now a look at paul ryan, the man. >> wisconsin is where i was born and raised and never really left it. >> every politician found -- >> the lawmaker. >> i focused on solving the problems that confront our country. >> his impact on the race for the white house. . >> we are going to welcome our viewers in the united states and

around the world. i'm wolf blitzer and you are in "the situation room." >> per in this special hour, we are taking a close look at the man mitt romney asked to join him on the republican presidential ticket, congressman paul ryan of wisconsin. romney made the big announcement in front of the battleship, the uss wiscons. ryan was chairman of the house budget committee made a name for himself here in washington by battling deficits and fighting for cuts and spending. listen to highway mitt romney broke the news. >> it's an honor toannounce my running mate and the next vice president of the united states, paul ryan!

his leadership -- his leadership begins with character and values. paul is a man of tremendous character shaped in large part in early life. paul's father died when he was in high school and forced him to grow up earlier than any young man should. with the help of his devoted mother, brothers and sister and a supportive community and as he did, he internalized the virtues and hardworking ethic of the midwest. paul ryan works in washington, but his beliefs remain rooted in jansville, wisconsin. he is a person of great steadiness whose integrity is unquestioned and his word is good. paul's upbringing is obvious in

how he conducted himself, including leadership in washington. in a city that is far too often characterized by pettiness and personal attacks, paul ryan is a shining exception. he doesn't demonize his opponents. he understands that honorable people can have honest differences and he appeals to the better angels of our ature. a lot of people on the other party who might disagree with paul ryan, i don't know of anyone who doesn't respect his character and judgment. >> paul ryan was 28 years old when first, leked to u.s. congress and served seven terms and almost 14 terms. he is the same age as the youngest of romney's five sons. he has a wife and three young children. >> i want you to meet my family. my wife, jana. our daughter liza and our sons charlie and sam.

i'm surrounded by the people i love. i love you too. janesville wisconsin is where i was born and raise and i never really left it. it's our home now. for the last 14 years, i am proudly represented wisconsin in congress. there i have focused on solving the problems that confront our country. turning ideas into action and action into solutions. i am committed in heart and mind to putting that experience to work in a romney administration. my dad died when i was young. he was a good and decent man. there a few things he would say that always stuck with me. he would say son, you are eitr

part of the problem or part of the solution. well, regrettably, president obama has become part of the problem and mitt romney is the solution. i represent a part of america that includes inner cities, rural areas, suburbs and factory towns. over the years, i have seen and heard from a lost families. from a lot of those running small businesses and from people who are in need. what i heard lately is what troubles me the most. there is something different in their voice and their words. what i hear from them are diminished dreams and lowered expectations. uncertain futures. i hear some people say this is the new normal. higher unemployment, declining incomes and crushing debt is not

a new normal. i work closely with republicans as well as democrats to advance an agenda of economic growth and fiscal discipline and job creation. >> hearsay name was on many people's short list of possibilities and the choice is somewhat surprising and carries very definite risks. our chief correspondent john king is here to assess what's going on and you spend a lot of time studying paul ryan. you looked at the pluses and the minuses. >> bold and risky all at once. a bit of a swagger and seemed a better candidate. this is the first oh, yeah, i am the leader of my party. the american people will decide between romney and president obama. can paul ryan help? you see evidence already. he energizes a base that has been suspicious of governor romney. people say it's a big ideas guy and we want him there. he is a debater and campaigner.

42 years old and you could see he adds youthful vigor to the race. there downsides. he never has run, meaning he never won statewide. can he help mitt romney and put wisconsin in the call? that's a question mark. the first event in the milwaukee suburbs. that's the key test there. zero foreign policy experience. people romney is weak there. the democrats will make that an issue. some will say as a 42-year-old house member ready to be commander in chief? >> without security or policy experience. most of his experience has been within washington in government or think tanks and legislative aid. he doesn't bring for example the experience in the private sector that mitt romney would bring to the ticket. >> right. you will have on the one hand as paul ryan said, here's a guy from the outsi. the governor and chief executive and a business man. i'm a guy who can help him navigate and he worked with

democrats. democrats respect paul ryan and disagree on just about everything when it comes to solutions, but they respect him as someone with ideas. >> he's a likeable kind of guy. today i spent part of the day going with interviews i have done with him over the past few years. i top the play this clip and talk about taxes which is a very, very sensitive issue. >> not only are we open to tax reform as you described, it's in our budget. what you proposed is get rid of the loopholes. what we want to do is get rid of these loopholes, all of these loopholes in exchange for lowering every business's tax rates to make us more competitive. >> here doesn't like the fact that the company like ge pays no taxes for whatever reason. he wants to do away with those kinds of loopholes and tax rates or u.p.s. he goes into specific

details. is that orthodoxy as far as that conservative base? some of them see a reduction in the loopholes as a tax hike. >> it is orthodoxy to flatter, simpler and fairer. the offshore tax shelters. let's get rid of those. some draw the line that they won't take the tax reform and brings more revenue to washington. high is not going to worry about that. if the end result is more money for washington, great. he said it's critical to make it simpler for middle class families. he will be honest and the main goal he thinks is for businesses, he takes away the tax code and you make it simple. he thinks more money that goes into the economy and more of a reagan supply side. >> he said ho to me he wants to work with democrats and he would love to find a compromise. maybe it will happen down the road. >> worry the issues front and

center, whoever wins the election might have a mandate to govern. >> just beginning our special hour here in "the situation room," inside information on how romney picked paul ryan. we have the decision making process. [ mrs. hutchison ] friday night has always been all fun and games

here at the hutchison household. but one dark stormy evening... she needed a good meal and a good family. so we gave her purina cat chow complete. it's the best because it has something for all of our cats! and after a couple of weeks she was part of the family. we're so lucky that lucy picked us. [ female announcer ] purina cat chow complete. and for a delicious way to help maintain a healthy weight, try new purina cat chow healthy weight.

. it's a terrific selection. paul ryan is a bold leader with great ideas to try to get the country back on track. they will make a great team. >> tim pawlenty from minnesota. not the finalist. he was close, but not close enough four years ago. he was first runner up when john mccain was looking for a vice presidential running mate. he was up there this time, but didn't get it. the decision to put paul ryan on

the ticket was made on august 1st. we have exclusive information on romney's selection process. gloria spoke with beth meyers who head the the search for a running mate. >> you have been very involved in the vetting and the process of choosing a vice presidential running mate which is very, very important. it's the first chance people get to look at how a president makes decisions. what is it about the process of choosing a vice president, what does it tell us about how mitt romney makes decisions? >> well, working with him as chief of staff in the governor's office for four years, there is a way, he is methodical in making decisions. he wants all the information. we went about a very thorough process in making sure we had a lot of information. about a broad group.

he doesn't like to rule anything out until he has to. when the first swath is brought, we have a good cut of information about a lot of people. he nair ode it down and we got more information. personal information from each of the potential candidates. at that point again, we had attorneys look through and go through everybody's record to make sure i didn't want to miss anything about them. then mitt took these candidate dossiers and read all of them word for word. i talked with each of the candidates personally. he had obviously been campaigning with a lot of the folks that he was considering. we read the dossiers and narrowed it down once again and did an even more deep dive on them and gave them the final product and he's thinking about

it now. >> does he solicit your advice? >> here solicits the small group of advisers, but he asks everybody he meets, what's your thought on this? he listens. people you wouldn't think you need to ask about it. he talks to and calls friends from all walks of his life, all across the country wanting to know what they think. he listens to that and i haven't told him, i have not shared with him my opinion because i think it's important that i am the objective. >> his comfort level with someone and his feeling that person is qualified to be president? >> yes, absolutely. obviously his first qualification is that the person is qualified to be president.

a and perceived to be qualified. >> let's talk about what this said about mitt romney d the impact of this. >> as bath meyers said, it shows you mitt romney is someone who likes to look at all the data when making a decision and the way she describes it is someone who is very methodical. you have to be comfortable with the person who was going to put on the ticket. aside from that, it tells us about where this campaign is headed. they took a look and said gee, we cannot run just against president obama's economy or they would have been up five or seven points by now. they are not. it's flat or they have been down. they said look, we need to focus this campaign and what they have done by putting paul ryan on the ticket and this is not without risk. they focused the campaign and said this is about the future of this country. they want to talk about spending

and tax cuts and deficits and use that as a way to talk about the economy and where they would take it. >> looks like they have got a good relationship and energized this campaign. >> this is day one. >> we're will see what happens on day two. wisconsin is his hometown and his political beliefs straight ahead. [ male announcer ] it's a golden opportunity... to experience the lexus performance line... including the gs and is. [ engines revving ] because control is the ultimate expression of power. [ revving continues ] ♪ during the golden opportunity sales event, get great values on some of our newest models. this is the pursuit of perfection.

want my recipe for healthier hair color? natural instincts! formulated with aloe, vitamin and antioxidants natural instincts has a system that's a healthier way to radiant color. indulge... with natural instincts. less guilt, more gorgeous. indulge... with natural instincts. so, i'm working on a cistern intake valve, and the guy hands me a locknut wrench. no way! i'm like, what is this, a drainpipe slipknot? wherever your business takes you, nobody keeps you on the road like progressive commercial auto. [ flo speaking japanese ] [ shouting in japanese ] we work wherever you work. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

. when mitt romney first introduced his new running mate, he said his beliefs remained firmly rooted in wisconsin. what are you finding out? >> hi, wolf. we are right outside of paul ryan's house. we spent the day talking to people across town and as you might imagine, wolf, people here

are of two minds about congressman ryan and what it will mean for the republican ticket. folks here in paul ryan's hometown of janesville are reacting. >> he is an excellent candidate. >> i personally don't like what he stands for. >> the congressman who comes from a prominent family is well-known in the town of 63,000 people southwest of milwaukee. he attended school here and a parishioner of the catholic church. neighbors said he is down to earth. >> we spoken to him in the neighborhood. we are friendly that way. just a down home kind of guy. he is in the labor day parade with his kids and his daughter was selling lemonade. >> in a water ski tournament, voters celebrated his vision and expressed hope he would help the gop win the traditionally blue state. >> he wants to get the country

going where it needs to be going budget-wise and the economy, but it makes you feel good as a wis cons inite. >> voters applauded romney's choice for different reasons. >> we are very excite and inspired. >> why? >> paul has a great vision for america and think he is the right choice. >> some democrats say the pick many conservatives say is bold and outstanding because of the commitment to budget cuts will boost the democratic ticket. >> i am elated. it will be easier for the democrats. they can attack two guys with one stone and the fiscal restraint. they stand for the 1%. >> they cut all the programs for the poor. >> he sticks to his beliefs and is an advocate for the district.

he's a hardworking person. >> i think he's a man of integrity. >> one thing voters we spoke with from both pears were unsure of is whether the 42-year-old is ready to be president. >> sheer not old enough to know what he is doing. >> do you think he is ready to be president? >> i don't know. that's kind of young. >> as you know or i don't have to tell you, wisconsin has been a blue state and reagan was the last republican candidate to win it. it has been a mixed bag. president obama won this county with 64% of the vote, but paul ryan has been elected seven times. while there plenty of democrats around here, there plenty of republicans. it will be interesting to see how the state goes in november. >> we will see if paul ryan can turn things around for the republicans. athena jones, thanks very, very much. mitt romney's former

presidential rival newt gingrich is standing by to join us with his take on paul ryan next. [ scratching ] you're not using too much are you, hon? ♪ nope. [ female announcer ] charmin ultra soft is so soft you'll have to remind your family they can use less. charmin ultra soft is made with extra cushions that are soft and more absorbent. plus you can use four times less versus the leading value brand. don't worry, there's plenty left for you dad. we all go. why not enjoy the go with charmin ultra soft? this is the plan that revolves around you. introducing share everything. unlimited talk. unlimited text. and a single pool of sharable data that powers up to 10 devices.

the first plan of it's kind. share everything. only from verizon. add a smartphone for just $40 monthly access. when they taste the food that you cooked, it does something to your heart. i think what people like most about the grilled food is the taste. the flavor comes from that oak wood. the shrimp, the fresh fish, the steaks. it locks in the flavor, it seals in the juices so that when you put the fork in it, it just goes through it like butter. it's beautiful. [ laughs ] i'm proud to be a grill master. i love food. my name is charles himple. i'm a red obster grill master and i sea food differently.

so how much do we owe you? that'll be $973.42. ya know, your rates and fees aren't exactly competitive. who do you think i am, quicken loans? [ spokesman ] when you refinance your mortgage with quicken loans, you'll find that our rates and fees are extremely competitive. because the last thing you want is to spend too much on your mortgage. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. ♪

were continuing ur indepth look from the man who will be a heartbeat away from the presidency if mitt romney wins the election. we are talking about his new running mate paul ryan of wisconsin. the selection is being applauded by several of romney's primary seasoned opponents including newt gingrich who is joining us right now. thank you very much for coming in. >> a pleasure to be with you and it's an exciting day. she knew paul since he was an intern with bob kaston. she is from wisconsin and a lot

of identity. >> the senator from wisconsin in the 90s. would he have been your pick if you got the presidential nomination? >> he would have been on the very short list. i was asked the other day in an editorial board, if you are looking for somebody who thinks strategically, who would you want in the room. i immediately said paul ryan. here's a guy who has mastered the budget. the more important thing is he is key in eating the majority in the house in 2010. he knows how to focus and get key things done and he is a very down to earth guy. if you look at his life and family, he will resonate with middle america and resonate with mid-westerners. >> he has a wonderful family and he is well-liked, but the democrats are going after the substantive policy issues which is fine. i want to see a good strong policy-oriented debate instead of focusing on trivial things.

they are pointing to budget proposals and the impact on low-income families. they said his programs would cut $3.3 trillion in low income programs and two trillion over ten years and other low income programs. 62% of the cuts would come from low income problems. does this represent a problem for him in the race over the next 87 days? >> i think it's the reason that it makes governor romney's choice courageous and correct. this is going to be a campaign about policy. paul ryan can defend what he is trying to accomplish. for example, in new york state medicaid, over 10% is fraud. if we modernize medicaid, we are not hurting the poor. we will spend less money. >> while it's important and don't get me wrong, that's not going to cause massive budget

reductions. >> in medicare and medicaid, it is between 70 and $110 billion a year. >> i don't know where you get that number. >> that are comes from first of all the "new york times" general accounting office and the level of fraught is astonishing. i think you would see with the ryan approach, an effort to decentralize back to the states to go to a much less expensive program and the fact is this is what obama and biden have to answer. if you don't want to cut, how are you going to get out of this deficit problem and how do you avoid becoming greece? greece now has 54% unemployment. >> they want to cut the democrats, did you they want to cut the tax relief for the wealthiest corporations. we won't get into that, but i want you to hear what joe biden said about paul ryan because this sets the stage for an excellent vice presidential

debate in october. >> these are decent honorable men and women. i am not playing the game that they are bad guys. they have a different value set as to the most important thing we should be doing. look at congressman ryan. a bright, bright guy and honorable man. his budget which has been embraced by i believe every member in the republican side in the house of representatives. you might remember the first ryan budget last year there was nothing subtle about it. it dismantled medicare and would have turned it into a voucher program over a 10-year period. >> dismantled it. he as called ryan on massive change in the way medicare operated for people under 55 years old a voucher program. >> wait a second. let's start with the facts. it is a fact that biden represents the team that took $700 billion out of medicare to

pay for obama care. they have been gutting medicare trying to cover what they are doing by attacking. second, congressman ryan worked closely with senator ron white and the democrats. they have a bipartisan medicare reform plan that allows you to keep the current plan or allows you to go to a defined payment plan, but you get to choose. it's a rational thing to do. something when which many modern liberal organizations said ought to be done. i think that it will be interesting to see an honest debate over the future. frankly the obama team was gutting medicare and putting it into obama care. >> i interviewed them many times over the years and found him to be reasonable and ready to compromise with democrats. i know conservatives, you voted for the t.a.r.p. legislation and the auto bailout which the president support and mitt

romney didn't at the time. he wanted to extend the bush tax cuts. are some of these votes he had going to undermine or hurt him with your fellow republicans? >> i think he is going to have to explain some, but the fact is he is seen by virtually every conservative activists as the most courageous and most dedicated advocates of getting back to a balanced budg and controlling spending in washington and returning power to the states. i think it's very clear that paul ryan represents the next generation of ideal-oriented republicans and he will settle well with the country being courageous and even pointed out, very practical and willing to talk and be part of the rules. >> vice president biden issued a release and called him to congratulate him and welcome to the him race and he urged congressman ryan to enjoy the day with his family and he

looked forward to engaging him on the clear choice voters face. this will be a good debate and i'm looking forward to it in october. >> it was a courageous decision for romney because it creates a clear division. there two futures for america. you get to choose which future the american people make. it elevates the campaign from the trash talk we have been getting into a serious choice. i hope that the obama team will decide that they are willing to engage. >> i'm sure there will be a serious policy debate which is what the american people want and deserve. there clear differences between the democratic ticket and the republican ticket. look forward to seeing you at the convention in tampa. >> thank you. >> the obama camp is showing us how it plans to run against paul ryan and we will get the white house reaction. that's next. are you okay, babe?

m fine. ♪ ♪ ♪ with a subaru you can always find a way. announcer: love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru.

so, i'm working on a cistern intake valve, and the guy hands me a locknut wrench. no way! i'm like, what is this, a drainpipe slipknot? wherever your business takes you, nobody keeps you on the road like progressive commercial auto. [ flo speaking japanese ] [ shouting in japanese ] we work wherever you work. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

a great pick. he's a super guy and he's a national voice on the most pressing issues we face as a country. >> senator rob portman of ohio getting ready for a bike race. one of the finalists in the race for the vice presidential nod and didn't get it as we know. the obama campaign attacked the choice calling paul ryan's ideas radical. the chief correspondent has more reaction. what are they saying over there at the campaign and elsewhere? >> hi, wolf. you can expect to hear the word ryan used as part of a phrase an awful lot between now and november from the obama team. romney-ryan budget or extreme house republican budget. because their goal is to try to bind mitt romney to paul ryan's

budget that they believe is an example or they will try to tie him to the narrative they have built that mitt romney wants to give tax breaks to the upper income americans at the expense of middle class americans. they think that the pick of paul ryan helps them make the case that he is committed to doing that. that will be what they will try to do. they know as he can see, he is a charismatic campaigner and they can make the argument on entitlements on tax reform and deficit cutting that would go about it in a way that hurts the middle class where as the president would not. >> they say the ryan budget helps them with seniors, especially the states like florida, for example, or pennsylvania or ohio. is the obama team targeting the seniors? >> absolutely they are, but also plan to target women, veteran,

college students and as i mentioned, middle class voters arguing that paul ryan's budget also includes cuts to programs that impact all those constituent groups and they will target those groups by pointing out ways paul ryan's budget would hurt them. expect a targeted message that this romney-ryan budget could be damaging to each of the groups. >> jessica is at the white house. someone who worked closely with paul ryan, congressman chris van holland of maryland, the top democrat and the chairman of the committee with paul ryan. thanks very much for talking to us. tell us what you think of this decision by mitt romney. >> wolf, i have worked closely with paul ryan and we get along personally, but have strong disagreements on budget issues and the economy. i think this choice does crystallize a lot of issues in a

way that will help the president. what mitt romney is signalling by this decision is that he wants to double down on an economic plan that helps people like mitt romney at the expense of the rest of the country. the expense of everybody else. if you look at the ryan and now romney budget, that is exactly what it does. it provides these very big tax breaks to folks at the high end of the income scale and asked everybody else to sacrifice for the purpose of deficit reduction while asking nothing from folks at the top. >> he made it clear over the years he recognizes there needs to be compromise and has to work with democrats. is that your experience with him personally as the two top members of the budget committee? >> wolf, all i can say is that the republicans put forward their budget on the floor and it's an uncompromising budget. they rejected every one of the amendments that democrats on the

budget committee offered. it's a very lopsided approach compared to the bipartisan plans that have been recommended by groups like simpson bowles. it doesn't come close. it doesn't come close because all of those plans say we need shared responsibility. the ryan plan doesn't ask the wealthiest to contribute one pen to deficit reduction. they ask everybody else to contribute which is why it does hit easterns on medicare and it hi kid's education budgets and middle income taxpayers. >> listen to this exchange that was caught on tape last year by abc news between paul ryan and former president bill clinton. listen to this. it's fascinating. >> paul ryan. how are you in. >> doing great. >> good to see you. >> good to see you too. >> the democrats -- [inaudible]. .

>> this is going to sink into paralysis. we want to put ourselves out there, but you have it get out there and got to get this thing moving. >> you don't want to talk about it? >> good, thanks. >> sounds like they were equally frustrated in that conversation. i don't know if you could hear it as well as i could. what did you think? >> the reality is that the democrats have put forward a number of proposals to modernize medicare. we just have a very different way of doing it. our way said we need to put more focus on the value of care provided as opposed to the current system which provides a lot of focus on the volume of care. the republican plan ryan put forward shifts the costsnd the burdens on to seniors. i know president clinton does not support that plan. what president clinton supports is the kind of balanced approach

that has been recommended by simpson bowles and not every recommendation, but the framework. i can tell you that the president's budget proposal comes a lot closer to that balanced approach than anything that ryan or the house put forward. the cochairman wrote a column to say exact low that. >> as you know, paul ryan was a member of the commission and he rejected it, but so did president obama. he rejected it as well. he named that commission. here's an area where for different reasons, paul ryan and president obama agreed. they didn't like the bowles recommendations. >> bowles and simpson have both said is that they looked at the president's budget proposal and it comes a lot closer to the balanced approach they proposed than the republican budget that is put forward in the house by ryan and the house republican leadership. the reason for that is that the

ryan budget doesn't ask for one penny from the very wealthiest americans to help reduce our deficit. the math is pretty clear. if you say the wealthiest don't have to pay a penny more, it means the budget will sock it hard to everybody else. that is exactly what their budget does. they have been uncompromising about the approach they have taken. you know last summer they threatened to have the united states default on the obligations for the first time in history if they didn't enact the budget proposa >> the democratic congressman from marynd. a colleague of paul ryan on the house committee, thanks very much for joining us. >> thank you. >> paul ryan has been on a mission to re invent the republican party. we will talk about his ideological root when is he come back.

♪ ( whirring and crackling sounds ) man: assembly lines that fix themselves. the most innovative companies are doing things they never could before, by building on the cisco intelligent network.

[ "human" by the human league playing ] humans. we mean well, but we're imperfect creatures living in a beautifully imperfect world. sometimes the little things get us and other times the not-so-little. it's amazing we've made it this far. maybe it's because when one of us messes up, someone else comes along to help out. no, no, no! [ loud crack ] ♪ i'm only human at liberty mutual insurance, we get that it's tough out there, and our job is to make it less tough. that's the thing about humans. when things are at their worst,

we're at our best. see how at libertymutual.com. liberty mutual insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? where tonight we switched their steaks with walmart's choice premium steak. it's a steakover! tender. really tender. the steak itself is phenomenal. it's so juicy. this steak is perfect. these are carefully aged for flavor and tenderness. it's probably the best steak i've had. tonight you are actually eating walmart steak. are you serious? wow. i'll get some steaks from walmart. walmart choice premium steak in the black package. it's one hundred percent satisfaction guaranteed. try it and check us out on facebook.

>> it's a perfect complement. it's hard to imagine and certainly excite the base not only here in wisconsin, but across america. >> probably right about that. the wisconsin governor, paul ryan from wisconsin. mitt romney calls paul ryan an intellectual leader. some of his ideas were not always envogue with republicans. "the new yorker" magazine published a profile who tweeted this about ryan friday night. i am quoting. he's a very nice guy, but i would be flabbergasted if romney picked him as vp. ryan is a cnn contributor. why would u have been flabbergasted? >> this is contrary to what i thought of as romney's strategy in this election and frankly his

character. he is playing is safe and i thought his strategy going into this pick is focus on the economy and don't make the race about yourself and your candidate. this changes that and said i can't just rely on the economy and obama's failure. i have to change this to a choice between two bold ideologists. >> he made the daring sdifgz his career. not just in the last few weeks, but his career. >> i think so. that's one way of saying that romney usually plays it safe. this is a gamble. paul ryan's budget, the inside that n that budget are untested. republicans didn't run on them in 2010. they were told not to. before he was the speaker, he said we are not embracing ryan's ideas. >> on medicare or something like that. >> at that time social security was on the table.

2011, all these new guys come in. 87 house freshmen. they are the core ryan supporters. he goes and has these guys into his office and does the power point things with them and convinces them that the ryan budget passes. we haven't had an election that tests whether this is pabl tala. >> this is risky , bold, and daring. >> this is a statement from george w. bush. >> this is a strong pick. governor romney is serious about confronting the long-term challenges and paul ryan will help him solve the difficult issues that must be addressed for future generations. is this vice president or potential vice president someone who will compromise with democrats or work with democrats or is he more in the non-compromising tea party mode? >> 2011 was a year when

republicans and democrats had simpson bowles and boehner obama and the gang of 6 and the super committee. ryan was on the side of not compromising. he was on the simpson bowles commission voted against the recommendation. now he accuses obama of not embracing his way. ryan was not on the side of reaching an agreement with obama in 2011. he was on the side of the conservative who is said no to any new revenue and we are waiting until after 2012. >> writing about paul ryan. a lot of ryans. >> his daughter's name is liza. liza ryan. >> his unusual way of unwinding. we have details up next. ♪

want my recipe for healthier hair color? natural instincts! formulated with aloe, vitamin and antioxidants natural instincts has a system that's a healthier way to radiant color. indulge... with natural instincts. less guilt, more gorgeous. to drive a car filled with as much advanced technology as the world around it. with the available lexus enform app suite, you can use opentable to make restaurant reservations... search with bing... and listen to pandora. presenting the 2013 lexus gs, rx and the all-new es, the leading edge of the leading edge. during the golden opportunity sales event, get great values on some of our newest models. this is the pursuit of perfection.

paul ryan catches fish with his bare hands. listen to him talk to candy crowley about his love of what is called noodling. >> my wife is from southern oklahoma and down there in southern oklahoma they have a sport during spawning season for catfish. you go along the river banks down there on the oklahoma-texas border and you put your hand in the hole where the catfish is spawning and they bite down and

you are catching catfish by hand. it is exhilarating and quite fun. we try to get down there in the end of me and early june to catch catfish and they are delicious. >> you catch it on your hand and then what? throw it up on the bank? >> yeah, you have to put it under your arm because they have this side that gets you and stings you. there is a technique to grab it and you walk it upo the bank and you put it in the boat or the bucket. it's really fun. >> noodling. what knew. that does it for me. i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." the news continues next on cnn. nope. [ female announcer ] charmin ultra soft is so soft you'll have to remind your family they can use less. charmin ultra soft is made with extra cushions that are soft and more absorbent. plus you can use four times less versus the leading value brand. don't worry, there's plenty left for you dad.

we all go. why not enjoy the go with charmin ultra soft? monarch of marketing analysis. with the ability to improve roi through seo all by cob. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle... and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. i'm going b-i-g. [ male announcer ] good choice business pro. good choice. go national. go like a pro. [ male announcer ] good choice business pro. good choice. we believe small things can make a big difference.e, like how a little oil from here can be such a big thing in an old friend's life. we discovered that by blending enhanced botanical oils into our food, we can help brighten an old dog's mind so he's up to his old tricks. it's just one way purina one is making the world a better place... one pet at a time.

discover vibrant maturity and more at purinaone.com. well another great thing about all this walking i've been doing is that it's given me time to reflect on some of life's biggest questions. like, if you could save hundreds on car insurance by making one simple call, why wouldn't you make that call? see, the only thing i can think of is that you can't get any... bars. ah, that's better. it's a beautiful view. i wonder if i can see mt. rushmore from here. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.