In the last few days, there’s been new talk about Paul Ryan in the who’s-in-who’s-out game of speculation over Mitt Romney’s vice presidential pick. The speculation is striking, because of the four candidates mentioned most often — Ryan, Rob Portman, Marco Rubio, and Tim Pawlenty — Ryan is the choice that would fundamentally change the direction of the Romney campaign. How? By instantly elevating the Ryan budget plan to the top of the Romney agenda. Whether that change would be to Romney’s liking is very much an open question.

There is an intense debate going on inside the Republican party over whether GOP candidates, focusing their campaigns on the economy, should stress job creation or reducing federal spending.  The two aren’t mutually exclusive, of course, and Romney has embraced both, but there is no question Romney has emphasized job creation far, far more than any other issue.