RYAN RISES – AT 8:57 A.M. ET:  Clearly the star player in Washington this week is Rep. Paul Ryan, Republican of Wisconsin, who unveiled a bold, lay-it-on-the-line budget this week, risking the demagoguery and smears that are bound to follow anyone who upsets the proverbial apple cart.  From Fox:

He's a rising star on the right and a growing target on the left.

Washington is buzzing about Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan's take-no-prisoners approach to budget cuts -- manifested in his budget proposal that would slash federal spending by $6.2 trillion over 10 years and overhaul health programs for the elderly and poor.

As Congress wages an epic budget battle that threatens this weekend to shut down the federal government for the first time in 15 years, Ryan's willingness to offer specifics on how to tame deficits and preserve the American safety net is boosting his profile among Republicans and stirring speculation that he may be on the short list of GOP vice presidential contenders.

"I think that Paul Ryan is the brightest light in the Republican Party right now," said former Sen. Bob Kasten, a fellow Wisconsin Republican who once employed Ryan. "And the courage he's shown is unlike anyone in Washington today, including the president."

"Whether for president or vice president or for further leadership in Congress, he's on everyone's list," he said, adding that the choice would be up to him.

COMMENT:  We don't want to get ahead of ourselves here, but Bill Kristol is proposing a Ryan-Rubio ticket for 2012.  It is true that both men are young, and a bit thin in the experience department, but Democrats will have a hard time using the experience factor in 2012, given the fact that Obama ran in 2008, with a resumé so thin it could give you a paper cut. 

Ryan reminds me somewhat of Jack Kennedy.  He has that style and assertiveness.  Not bad things to have if you're engaging in high political combat.  Watch this guy closely.

April 7, 2011