Rep. Paul Ryan Honored By Mitt Romney's Decision
MIAMI (CBS4) - For the first time since the big announcement presidential hopeful Mitt Romney sat down with his vice presidential pick Rep. Paul Ryan on CBS' 60 Minutes on Sunday.
"I said yes," boasted Ryan. "I'm honored. I'm humbled and I said yes."
A decision Ryan said he did not take lightly. He said he spoke at length about it with his wife before accepting.
"I've felt for awhile now that our country is in a very perilous position and I've done everything I could in my career as Chairman of the Budget Committee to try and make a difference, to tackle this economic and fiscal challenge before it tackles us," said Ryan.
For Romney it was also a difficult choice to make. He said after three months of looking at several strong candidates he decided on Ryan close to the beginning of this month.
"You can't imagine having someone like Paul Ryan who's been able to work with Democrat senators, Democrat members of the House as well as Republicans, been able to make things happen there," said Romney. "I can't imagine not using him to have his skill in finding those people that can come together and find common ground."
Here in South Florida, Rep. Mario Diaz Balart acknowledged many are still licking their wounds, disappointed that native son Senator Marco Rubio wasn't the chosen one.
"But the reality is that I don't think Governor Romney could have chosen a better person," said Diaz Balart. "I served with Paul Ryan on the budget committee for many, many years, know him well, know him to be a man of great integrity of great intellect."
President Barack Obama spent Sunday in Chicago raising money for his re-election. He called the Wisconsin Congressman the ideological leader of Congress.
"He's an articulate spokesman for Governor Romney's vision," said President Obama. "But it is a vision I fundamentally disagree with."
Romney and Ryan said they will split up on the campaign trail and rejoin each other leading up to the Republican convention at the end of the month.
