It was only a week ago that Paul Ryan's entry into the presidential race was hailed as a "bold" and "substantive" choice. A Very Serious choice that will force Washington to debate substance for a change.
That was then. Today, according to Romney's closest advisers, it's "politically unwise" to engage in specifics, so they won't be doing that.
“The nature of running a presidential campaign is that you’re communicating direction to the American people,” a Romney adviser said. “Campaigns that are about specifics, particularly in today’s environment, get tripped up.” [...]
“What you’re going to see is a campaign that has clear direction, but not a Simpson-Bowles or Ryan-budget level of detail,” the Romney adviser said. “It’s not only politically unwise to do that, but it’s not how the voters engage in a presidential campaign.”
It's easy to get tripped up if none of your policy proposals feature coherent math or an ounce of compassion. And it's undoubtedly political unwise to tell seniors that you're going to replace their Medicare with coupons.
You'll just have to trust that Mitt Romney has your best interests in mind. The guy who won't even release his tax returns.
We're all out of substance. Check back next week.