another mentor was bill bennett, a conservative luminary. and ryan worked for those guys when he was in his 20s. and when he thought about running for the senate, he went to them and said does this pass the laugh test? and they said you know, yeah, it really does. and by the way, i should also tell you that bill bennett told me and ryan confirmed that one of his hobbies is hunting elk with a bow and arrow. so there you go. >> there you go. i think we've even seen a shot of him at that in our coverage thus far. gloria borger, wolf blitzer, john king all standing by with our extensive coverage. we're going to take a short break here on cnn. but we will be back in just a moment. [ male announcer ] this is rudy. his morning starts with arthritis pain. and two pills. afternoon's overhaul starts with more pain. more pills. triple checking hydraulics. the evening brings more pain. so, back to more pills. almost done, when... hang on. stan's doctor recommended aleve. it can keep pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is rudy. who swit

radio talk show host and author, bill bennett. "the washington post's" dan balz and our own chuck todd. after this break. >>> coming up, continuing our special hour, who is paul >>> coming up, continuing our special hour, who is paul ryan? how will his addition to the ticket affect the dynamic of the campaign? i've got the best right here. our political roundtable is going to weigh in right after this brief commercial break. >>> it's gone from the surreal to the real. >> yes. >> by the time we met in person i kind of knew it was going to happen. and i was very humbled. it was the biggest honor i've ever been given in my life. and i love this country dearly and i feel like we have an opportunity to fix -- fix things once and for all. >> that was yesterday on the campaign plane. the new team, romney/ryan now on the campaign trail. we're back with our political roundtable. joining me, political reporter for "the washington post," veteran of too many campaigns to count, which is amazing because you're only 35, dan balz. chief white ho

radio talk show host and author, bill bennett. "the washington post's" dan balz and our own chuck todd. after this break. i've discovered gold. [ female announcer ] new roc® retinol correxion max. the power of roc® retinol is intensified with a serum. it's proven to be 4x better at smoothing lines and deep wrinkles than professional treatments. roc® max for maximum results. ooo no. the hotel lost our reservation. nonsense! you book at travelocity, your reservation's guaranteed. well, i did not book with travelocity, okay?!? [ female announcer ] get the travelocity guarantee any way you book, including our new app. you'll never roam alone. [ female announcer ] weak, damaged hair needs new aveeno nourish+ strengthen. active naturals wheat formulas restore strength for up to 90% less breakage in three washes. for strong, healthy hair with life, new aveeno nourish+ strengthen. >>> coming up, continuing our special hour, who is paul ryan? how will his addition to the ticket affect the dynamic of the campaign? i've got the best right

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radio talk show host and author, bill bennett. "the washington post's" dan balz and our own chuck todd. after this break. omething you'r. and lives inside you. inspires the things you choose to do. things that may not always change the world in a big way. but can change it in a million little ways. you do what you do... because it matters. at hp we don't just believe in the power of technology. we believe in the power of people when technology works for you. to do the things that matter. to dream. to learn. to create. to work. if you're going to do something. make it matter. to chart a greener path in the air and in our factories. ♪ to find cleaner, more efficient ways to power flight. ♪ and harness our technology for new energy solutions. [ female announcer ] around the globe, the people of boeing are working together, to build a better tomorrow. that's why we're here. ♪ >>> coming up, continuing our special hour, who is paul ryan? how will his addition to the ticket affect the dynamic of the campaign? i've got the best rig

another mentor was bill bennett, a conservative luminary. and ryan worked for those guys when he was in his 20s. and when he thought about it, he went to the senate and said does this pass the last test. they said, you know, it really does. and by the way, i should also tell you that bill bennett told me and ryan confirmed that one of his hob bees is hunting elk with a bow and arrow. so there you go. >> i think we've even seen a shot of him with our coverage so far. we're goirng to take a short break here on cnn, but we will be back in just a moment. meineke's personal pricing on brakes. i tell mike what i can spend. i do my best to make that work. we're driving safely. and sue saved money on brakes. now that's personal pricing. >>> sources tell cnn that u.s. congressman paul ryan will be on the ticket. with the republican candidate. we've got john king standing by. you recently spent a good bit of time with paul ryan. we've been talking a lot about the substance, the policy. and, you know, it just strikes me as we talk and as we watch the p

jack kemp, my mentor with bill bennett. that's what got me into public policy and kind of is why i'm here today. >> economic policy versus skiing. did you ever regret that decision? >> sometimes. >> skiing might be a little more fun but he loves economics. bill bennett is joining us on the phone right now. he was, what, a 23-year-old kid when he came to empower america, your think tank. you began working with him. you gave him some advice about running for office. didn't you, bill? >> i did. i did. he called me when he thought about running, wolf. i have to ask you first to see if this passes the laugh test, should i run for congress? i said absolutely. you'll do well. you'll win. avenues hard worker. he worked for jack kemp in the economics area but worked for me, too. we worked on that welfare issue up to 1996, which you've been talking about lately. but a year ago, almost to the day we were together in colorado last year hiking. i was trying to encourage him to run for president. he said he wouldn't do it, a bunch of com

jack kemp and bill bennetts and bob casten senator from wisconsin . a supply siders with washington d.c.. >> i thought what was so interesting in his background, his father shared an office with senator feindepold's father and the two of them senator feendepold and congressman ryan are good friend and different mechanicly. >> and their fathers were lawyers together in jamesville. there were a couple occasion when paul ryan roin had an opportunity to run against russ feingold and he didn't want to do it because there was a relationship there. and it is interesting. that is an example of what we are talking about. you know, we talked about his policy and what a policy wonk he is. but there is couple of things we shouldn't over look about him. he's not just a dry, you know, guy doing the math. he is pretty idealogical. and pronounce well defined conservative world view and a good politician. to get from you talk about the conjectory of his career and to become house budget chair at urine and turn that job in a position of such power and influ yence then

jack kemp and bill bennetts and bob casten senator from wisconsin . a supply siders with washington d.c.. >> i thought what was so interesting in his background, his father shared an office with senator feindepold's father and the two of them senator feendepold and congressman ryan are good friend and different mechanicly. >> and their fathers were lawyers together in jamesville. there were a couple occasion when paul ryan roin had an opportunity to run against russ feingold and he didn't want to do it because there was a relationship there. and it is interesting. that is an example of what we are talking about. you know, we talked about his policy and what a policy wonk he is. but there is a couple of things we shouldn't over look about him. he's not just a dry, you know, guy doing the math. he is pretty idealogical. and pronounce well defined conservative world view and a good politician. to get from you talk about the conjectory of his career and to become house budget chair at urine and turn that job in a position of such power and influ yence the

he served jack kemp and bill bennett at the republican think tank in power america back in the 1 80s. when he was a young man in his early 20s, he was elected to congress when he was 2 years old. when he was younger than that, he told people he'd build a washington experience and go home and run for congress. when he was in his early 20s, he was planning to come home to janesville, wisconsin but to come back to washington. to call him a reluctant warrior in washington is a bit of a stretch, so to say. paul ryan has been in public service for 14 years now. he's there because he wanted to be there and he want to be there at a young age. we're told the romney/ryan bus is on its way here, about five minutes away. a large crowd here, cheeseheads eag eagerly awaiting the arrival of the republican ticket. >> when i asked paul ryan about this ticket months ago, he didn't turn it down and say, we'll have to take things as they come. it's clear to me that paul ryan is somebody political. he's ambitious, nothing wrong with that. was even thinking about running for the presidency himself. and now

. >> bill bennett is a conservative talk radio host and cnn contributor. he was one of ryan's mentors alongside with jack kemp in the early 1990s. >> he is a guy with -- without guile, without pretense. he likes to hang out with actuaries for relaxation, which is -- >> who doesn't? >> which is a funny thing. he hunts elk with a bow and arrow. >> he's had the deficit in his sights for years. but even republicans steered clear of some of his more controversial budget ideas. that is, until the tea party became the rage. >> i think it is because of the circumstances of what happened that the recession -- the resulting binge and spending that occurred after it and passing entitlements like obama care and then the electoral reaction to that brought these ideas into the mainstream. >> because it's not like you had an extreme makeover. >> no, no. i have been doing the same thing for a long time. >> ryan became popular by pushing the unpopular. things like killing his colleagues' pork projects or trying to revamp social security and eventually change medicare into

>> through mentors, and working for bill bennett, jack kemp, sam brownback. i learned at an early age, working for policy leaders, if you apply yourself, persevere, you can make a big difference. and pass legislation, which affects people's lives in a positive way. that's the idea of it all. and i also was very homesick. i'm a big hunter. a big fisherman. i'm a wisconsin guy. so, i moved back home when i was 27. after working out here for about five years. in the thinktanks and on the hill. and looked at running for an open seat for my hometown district. i basically wanted to be an bureau in public policy. and i missed my home. i'm an irish-catholic guy. i have 67 cousins alone. and i miss just home. and so, i basically did a lot of praying, soul-searching and decided to be an entrepreneur in public policy. live at home, running for office. advocating ideas was something i was going to try. >> but 28? >> right. i didn't know it was possible or not. i just decided to go for it. and it ended up working out. >> so, did you call your mentors and say, hey? >> i ca

he served jack kemp and bill bennett empower america in the 1980s. when he was a young man in his early 20s, elected to congress when he was 28, but younger than that, he told people he was going to build a little washington experience and then go home and run for congress. he was plan ining yes, to come home, but to come back to washington. so to call in the reluctant warrior of washington is a bit of a stretch. not to disparage public service, he has been in public service for 14 years now, but he's there because he wanted to be. we're told the romney ryan bus is on its way here, some cheese heads in the crowds here. >> it's clear to me that paul ryan always wanted to be on this ticket. when i asked him about it, months ago, he didn't turn it down and say you know, we'll have the take things as they come, but it's very clear to me that paul ryan is somebody political. he's ambitious. nothing wrong with that. was even thinking about running for the presidency himself and now, john, inning he's going to have a homecoming in a few minutes like none he

bennett another n.s.a. whistleblower and. in a small research center there were about a dozen of us including contractors and small number of contractors looking for ways to deal with the mass of data that the information age brought to the equation and we failed at something but we also learned some things and made some big breakthroughs in fact the deputy director of n.s.a. came down to see what we had done. he responded this way my god you've made huge breakthrough why are you being so quiet about. we never heard from him again. or will continue this conversation just a moment more conversations great minds and then i say whistleblowers kirk with me and tom straight coming up after the break. i am. in full started here before going global and now pulling the fire. log. kicking. choose your place take your stand. to. make your statement. with the words. you my whole story in london. thank. you. welcome back to conversations of the great minds tonight i'm speaking with n.s.a. whistleblowers kirk we and tho

bennett and the other n.s.a. whistleblower and. in a small research center there were about a dozen of us including contractors and small number of contractors looking for ways to deal with the mass of data the information age brought to the equation and we failed at some things but we also learned some things and made some big breakthroughs in fact the deputy director of n.s.a. came down to see what we had done. he responded this way mike. you've made a huge breakthrough so why are you being so quiet about it. we never heard from him again. or will continue this conversation just a. well the more conversations great minds are going to say whistleblowers kirk we me and tom straight coming up after the break. you know sometimes you see a story and it seems so for lengthly you think you understand it and then you glimpse something else and you hear or see some other part of it and realized everything you thought you knew you don't know i'm tom harvey markham is a big picture. into that only a military make a deal t

here is what you are missing if you are missing the bill bennett radio show. democrats are causing more rape with their gun control legislation. if women could carry guns there would be less rape. [♪ somber music ♪] >>, a, women can carry guns. and b, bill bennett is a boring-ass show to listen to. >> stephanie: there is that. >> i don't recall women being prohibited from carrying guns. >> i don't either. [♪ "world news tonight" theme ♪] >> stephanie: mitt romney contending he is pointing out real differences while president obama is making claims that are patently false. >> obama: when you look at the campaign we are running, we are focused on the issues that the working american families are focused on. >> stephanie: obama also defended ad criticizing romney's refusal release more than two years of tax returns. he said the stuff is pretty standard, and not overly personal. >> obama: the american people have assumed if you want to be president of the united states, that your life is an open book. when it comes to things like your finances. >> stephani

>>guest: well, in 1993 when paul went to work with my father and bill bennett and jeane kirkpatrick, any young person who was around dad, whether it was on the hill days or at empower america they were attracted to his personality, and style of politics and his optimism for the country, and dad wanted young people to learn about what he called and what paul clearly learned very well "the american idea." at its root is the human idea for all people. >>neil: do you think what was a tough sell in 1996 when bill clinton was running to re-election, could be a better sell, or at least a more driveable sell in 2012? >>guest: well, the comparison, to make define kemp and ryan, frankly, jack concern is the time of 1980. he was a congressman elected in 1970 from western new york. it was a pretty balanced district. it was not republican, certainly. that is similar to where paul ryan comes from, in wisconsin. he did not win in a republican district. paul learned how to speak to people regardless of their party. one of the lessons i think that dad taught paul, well, and you can see that paul real

bennett, everything crystallized for him in terms of his economic world view and limited government and pro- market orientation. >> he mentioned that paul ryan likes to talk about policy. there is no doubt about that. how have you seen him talking about politics. he does not like to apple length about political issues as much as a policy wonk issues. he has just been picked as vice president. how do you think he is going to handle that? >> he likes to talk about how disinterested he is in politics and how he is a policy guide. in fact, i think he is a very good politician who does have some political acumen. i have had conversations with him over the years where the conversation will drift over politics. he has opinions about the presidential race. he will offer tactical and strategic opinions. people should not miss the political dimensions. there is paul ryan the policy guy, there is the very ideological conservative. you see reflected in his relationship with the media. he is a good communicator, good and at ease with reporters. those are some of his political skills that work. >

bennett and jack kemp. he was really schooled in the economic doctrine of supply side which is all about using deregulation and lower tax rates on income and investments to spur economic growth. he's a true sider. >> brown: he still lives in jamesville but of course he's been in washington a good while now. electedded at the age of just 28. how did that happen? how d paul ryan become a politician and especially at such a young age? >> well, after, you know, being a staffer and a speech writer and a policy guy on the hill, he... his ambition was to go into elected politics. he ended up running in a district that was once represented by aspen for many year, the democrat who went on to be defense secretary for president clinton. a pretty diverse district politically. jamesville is a democratic leaning district but itreates mocratic areasnd repuican areas and it's become a little bit more republican over time. paul ryan is one of the top conservatives in the house who has had to run in a district that is fairly

he did take time to call into bill bennett's radio show and talk about -- and complain about negative campaigning. listen here. >> i'm seeing some of the ads out there. i don't though what ever happened to a campaign of hope and change. i thought it was a new kind of politician. >> yeah. >> but instead, his campaign and the people working with him have focused almost exclusively on personal attacks and not at all on the issues of the day which is how to get more jobs and more take-home pay. it is really disappointing. >> and if hasn't already, romney also, we assume, is working pretty hard to make up his mind about his running mate. one name being babndied about i tim pawlenty. he may not be a household name but as we hear from john king, that could change overnight. >> reporter: tim pawlenty wants you to know he likes beer. >> you have had enough of obama care? >> reporter: why might he share the ticket? policywise, he is very much in sync with romney. and personally, he's the anti-romney. his economic views shaped not by personal wealth but by a blue collar upbringing on the streets

bennett. i thought those were the two key wings that you really grow this country and glide it forward on. i still think those are the right things today. paul ryan represents those. >> i think he'll follow through as he always has. sam brownback of kansas, thank you for sharing personal vignettes. >>> now to the hard-core tough political panel. cnbc contributors howard dean, former vice president governor. jennifer ruben of the right turn blog and robert costa, national review political reporter. robert, a question. is the ryan pick going to be a game changer and is it going to mobilize the tea party for team romney? >> it already has, larry. look at the crowds. i was on the trail with ryan and romney in virginia on saturday. there is real energy behind this ticket. a lot of people thought romney would play small this campaign. play small ball in responding to the bain capital attacks of president obama. instead of picking someone run of the mill, vanilla, he went with a bold conservative. he

. >> bill bennett says that ryan flashed onto the president's radar after some fiery exchanges at his health care summit last year. >> you can tell barack obama took notice. he took the measure of him, paul ryan is in his brain a little bit. >> reporter: actually, a lot. the white house seated paul ryan right up front at the president's budget speech in april and then proceeded to denounce his plan. >> what i was thinking going into that speech, we're getting divided government to work. we're compromising, getting things done. so what i got out of that was, political mode, you know, demagoguery and try to nullify the notion that there's an alternative path for this country. >> reporter: with neither side budging, ryan has settled in. >> paul ryan is the right guy! >> reporter: is a hero to republicans and a devil to the democrats. and he's okay with that. >> they had an ad of me pushing a woman off a cliff something like that. >> reporter: does it bother you? >> not really. we have a normal life here in janesville. my wife and i have three beautiful kids, we have a normal life like ev

jack kemp i ended up working for and he was my mentor along with bill bennett. that's what got me into public policy and is kind of where i am today. >> economic policy versus skiing. did you ever regret that decision? >> sometimes. >> we want to ask him that one again in a couple of weeks. you can watch more of our "getting to know" interviews at cnn.com/sotu. thanks so much for watching "state of the union." i'm candy crowley in washington. if you missed any part of today's show, you can buy it on itunes. "the situation room with wolf blitzer" starts right now. >>> the decision is made. >> it's an honor to announce my running mate and the next vice president of the united states, paul ryan! >> now a look at paul ryan. the man. >> jamesville, wisconsin, is where i was born and raised, and i never really left it. >> the lawmaker. >> i have focused on solving the problems that confront our country. >> and his impact on the race for the white house. >>> we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situa

bill bennett, a young age he learned a lot. in the 14 years of congress nothing but rise. beat out a lot of senior members. another guy who is chairman of the budget committee former fox contributor john kasek. >> see if he can win, wisconsin. >> we haven't won regan's campaign since i beat beckel or regan beat beckel i didn't beat beckel. i said if beckel would have run beakle would have won all 50 states. i'm not bitter. love bob beck. >> leaders of both parties on capitol hill weighing in on governor romney's new running mate and we are hearing from some people the governor did not choose. that coming up as we approach the bottom of the hour and top of the news on a saturday "fox report." .. to experience the largest, most efficient line of luxury hybrids on the road, including the all-new esh. ♪ while many automakers are just beginning to dabble with the idea of hybrid technology... ♪ ...it's already ingrained in our dna. during the golden opportunity sales event, get great values on some of our newest models. this is the pursuit of perfection. [ "human" by the hum