This is too delicious for words. On Friday, Bruce Bartlett of the Fiscal Times published a column under this very headline. It should obviously be filed under the “Dewey Beats Truman” category. Not the kind of thing I imagine Bartlett will be mentioning on his resume come his next job interview, but likely a topic to be touched during the same interview.
Bartlett writes knowingly: “All signs point to Romney nominating a ‘boring white guy’ who is unquestionably qualified to be president, who won’t show him up, and who will hopefully carry a key state. Personally, I would put my money on Senator Rob Portman of Ohio.”
There you go. And the Bartlett knowing tone continues unabashed:
“As far as Ryan himself is concerned, I don’t think he has the slightest desire to be vice president. While it is a good stepping stone to the presidency even for those who don’t achieve the office through death of a president, I don’t think that is Ryan’s ambition.”
And there’s the bit of insider’s wisdom:
“I’ve known Ryan since he was an intern for Jack Kemp many years ago. He is a true policy wonk who would rather talk about economics, the budget, tax policy, monetary policy and financial markets than just about anything. Moreover, I think he is happy being chairman of the House Budget Committee and knows that he is young enough—he’s only 42—that 2012 is unlikely to be his last chance to move up from the House of Representatives.”
And this political sundae comes with a cherry on top:
“I think if Ryan has any ambitions connected to Romney it would be to be his Office of Management and Budget director. In the event that Romney wins, I think he would take that job in a heartbeat. It’s a much better fit for both Ryan and Romney.”
With all of the above in mind, here are a few additional Fiscal Times articles for your consideration (did not make any of this up)
“Unthinkable: Conflict between Israel and Iran”
“Abbas: Palestinian Spring is Here”
And another one from Bartlett: “Why the Flat Tax Will Never Fly”
I don’t support the flat tax, but if anyone was looking for points in favor of the thing, they should totally use “Bartlett said it’ll never happen.”
(Thanks to my friend Peretz Berk for the link)