Howard Fineman apologizes for getting Paul Ryan wrong

Okay, I admit it: I was wrong. I was guilty of optimism. Also naiveté and ignorance. I predicted in this spacethat the elevation of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) would produce a more serious, substantive tone in the campaign.

Well, if anything, the campaign is closer to the new hit movie "The Campaign" than it was a week ago. All we're missing in reality is a punched baby and a candidate-only wrestling match.
What happened?

Well, for one, Ryan turns out, upon closer inspection, not to be a purifying ideologue, but rather a young, power-hungry, ladder-climbing trimmer -- less Ayn Rand and Milton Friedman and more Karl Rove and George W. Bush.

So Ryan is actually a George W. Bush neoliberal neo-con in Tea Party disguise to fool the rubes. Who would'a thunk it?
(Note to those for whom English is not their first language: "would'a thunk" is American slang for "would have thought," but it has a specific idiomatic use, so don't use it unless you are sure how it works.)

Fineman goes on to parse the candidates and the action. Conclusion: Expect the worst.

The Huffington Post
Why Obama-Romney Debate Will (Continue To) Be Vicious
Howard Fineman | Editorial Director, AOL Huffington Post Media Group