And now, here comes media star Paul Ryan

NOW THAT Rep. Paul Ryan has become the latest meteor in the Republican universe, it might be useful to know a little more about his political profile than simply that he wants to eliminate the federal deficit by doing such things as eventually fully privatizing Medicare for people now under 55. The private sector, of course, has long been the comfort zone of Republicans and the great benefactor of conservatives running for public office. Hooray for the big health insurance companies good work in their self interest.

So who is this Ryan fellow from Wisconsin ? . You may be surprised to know that for a lawmaker who disdains government assistance, he enjoyed some of it himself. He was only 16 when his father died, but he received his dad's Social Security until he was 18. According to his on-line bio, he used the benefits for "his education at Miami University of Ohio." In their eagerness to starve the government beast, how soon they forget. And he's not the only hypocrite in the Capitol Hill crowd.

The remainder of his profile fits the perfect conservative profile, from a 100 pct. voting record with the National Right to Life committee to an "A" rating from the National Rifle Assn. The bio offers no clue on what he thinks about President Obama's birthplace. But there's still time.