Paul Ryan: The anti-Obama

At yesterday's House Budget Committee meeting, the show was once again stolen by Rep. Paul Ryan. Aided by an alarming graph that showed the spiking national debt, the young Wisconsin Republican eloquently railed against ObamaCare, tax-and-spend, deficit spending, and statism. "We have a great tidal wave of debt coming in this country," he warned. "This is how great empires fall." After Democrats hit back with the usual accusations that he was siding with the insurance companies over the American people, Ryan quipped, "Listening to these arguments, I'm reminded of a pyromaniac in a field of straw men."

This is nothing new for Ryan, who has proven himself to be Obama's most principled and damning critic. At the vaunted health care reform summit two weeks ago, Ryan waited his turn, then patiently explained to the president's face that he was lying about the deficit, calling the health care bill "worse than Bernie Madoff." Obama looked slighted, but responded to Ryan with deference. He didn't have much of a choice. The congressman had pulled the rug out from under the president.

Ryan is only 40, though he looks about ten years younger. Elected to the House in 1999, he quickly rose through the Republican ranks to become the Ranking Member on the House Budget Committee. It's easy to understand why. Ryan is a policy wonk, easy on the eyes and ears, and an unabashed small-government conservative. He has said he was inspired by Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism, a polemic that explores progressives' roots in the fascist movements of the early 20th-century. Last year, he introduced an alternative budget that would have frozen discretionary spending for five years and completely privatized Medicare.

Ryan actually is everything that Obama pretends to be. While the president poses as a deep thinker, Ryan has run rings around him in policy discussions. While the president hides his arrogance underneath a faux charm, Ryan genuinely seems like a nice guy. While the president fakes being articulate in front of a Teleprompter, Ryan is one of the most eloquent speakers in Congress.

Ryan's name is already on the GOP's short list of presidential contenders. It's unlikely he'll make a move in 2012, as House members almost never seek the presidency. But it's a shame that he won't. As the president's political fortunes plummet, Ryan could be that fresh face that the GOP is looking for. We'd put his intellect and charm up against Obama's any day of the election season.

Update: Here's the video of Ryan attacking ObamaCare on the House Budget Committee yesterday.