David Lightman: Paul Ryan Tosses Red Meat to Conservative Crowd

Paul Ryan gave a cheering, on its feet crowd the kind of passionate political oratory it craved Friday, as he branded President Obama a weak, failed leader "skilled at striking heroic poses against imaginary adversaries." Ryan, the Republican's vice presidential candidate, told about 2,000 people at the Values Voter Summit that "nobody is better at rebuking nonexistent opinions. Barack Obama does this all the time, and in this campaign we are calling him on it." Such attacks on the president are hardly new for Ryan, who's fulfilling the traditional, second spot on the ticket role of partisan lieutenant playing the kind of hardball politics that might look unseemly for someone who's vying to be president. A Wisconsin congressman who's the chairman of the House Representatives Budget Committee, he has an advantage with the conservative crowd, which consider him a star for pushing for deep cuts in federal spending. Ryan charged that some Obama policies pose a threat and insult to every religious group, and that Israel is treated with indifference, bordering on contempt by the White House. The administration got into dispute earlier this year with the Roman Catholic Church over federally mandated insurance coverage for birth control. On Israel, the campaign of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney thinks the White House hasn't been forceful enough in attempting to keep Iran's nuclear ambitions in check because of the threat Iran poses to the Jewish state. Ryan also accuses Obama of expanding government. He treats private enterprise as little more than a revenue source for government, Ryan said. He views government as the re-distributor and allocator of opportunity. The Obama campaign struck back quickly. Ryan, spokesman Danny Kanner said, "unleashed a series of over the top, dishonest attacks against the president, that once again reminded voters that he's just not ready for prime time. In the not too distant past, Mitt Romney and Congressman Ryan said they wanted a serious debate on substantive issues. We're still waiting.