I have very little to add to what has already been said on MSNBC about the choice of Ryan as the Vice Presidential nominee. Chuck Todd said that Ryan is a game changer choice, and those, as was the case with Sara Palin, look good for a few days and then have more disadvantages than benefits. Someone else said that Ryan comes from a district with no large cities and so was reelected a number of times because he marched in parades, and his national budget earned him boos when he afterwards attended constituency meetings. Someone said that Obama had tried to tie Romney to Ryan's budget plan, and now Romney has done the job for him.

What I can add is that Ryan came across as not much of a campaigner. He was stiff in front of the crowd and the speech that he probably didn't write was full of platitudes and had nothing of substance. I judge smarts by articulateness and he is not that. So much for Ryan’s reputation as the Republican "intellectual". I also think I detected him in two lies. He said he represents inner city people, but that is only true if you are speaking of him as representing all of Wisconsin rather than his own district. He said his father told him to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. I doubt that because that adage was from the left not the right when Ryan was young.

The Obama people are quick to respond. I have already received an e-mail solicitation based on the Ryan candidacy and the Obama campaign has already put out something about Ryan being in favor of giant tax relief for the rich and cutting back on entitlements. I can't wait for the important people to chime in, perhaps this afternoon. I think they will try to destroy Ryan before the convention, just as they sufficiently damaged Romney in July so that he was forced to make Ryan his choice. Ryan already overshadows Romney. It is Ryan's program that is now up for discussion, Romney moving off center stage, and it is likely to stay that way. Is it for this that Romney endured the pain of getting the nomination?