Mitt Romney introduces Paul Ryan as his VP running mate

NORFOLK, Va.—Against the flag-draped backdrop of the USS Wisconsin, Mitt Romney officially announced Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin as his vice presidential running mate, a pick his campaign hopes will add energy to his quest to defeat President Barack Obama.

"A lot of people may disagree with Paul Ryan, but I don't know of anyone who doesn't respect his character and judgment," Romney said in announcing his running mate.

The announcement came after months of anticipation and just under three weeks before Romney is set to officially set to accept the Republican presidential nomination at the party's convention in Tampa.

Joining Romney on stage, Ryan, a seven-term congressman who is chairman of the House Budget Committee, immediately assumed one role he's expected to fill on the campaign trail: chief defender of Romney and his policies.

"Mitt Romney is a leader with the skills, the background and the character that our country needs at a crucial time in its history. Following four years of failed leadership, the hopes of our country, which have inspired the world, are growing dim; and they need someone to revive them," Paul said. "Gov. Romney is the man for this moment, and he and I share one commitment: We will restore the dreams and greatness of this country. "

Ryan acknowledged that Obama "inherited a difficult situation" when he took office in 2009. But echoing the message Romney has emphasized on the trail for months, Ryan told supporters here Obama "didn't make things better."
"Whatever the explanations, whatever the excuses, this is a record of failure," Ryan declared.

A senior Romney aide, speaking on background, told Yahoo News Romney made his decision to pick Ryan on Aug. 1—the day after he returned from an overseas trip to Europe and the Middle East. He called Ryan that same day and arranged a meeting—though aides did not say when that meeting took place. Both sides kept the secret for more than a week.

Romney and Ryan became close during the Wisconsin primary, when Romney and Ryan campaigned together for nearly a week. Ryan, widely considered to be a rock star within the conservative moment, sometimes overshadowed Romney on the stump—but the candidate did not seem to mind. Reporters quickly noted a budding "bromance" between the two men—a description Romney aides did not discourage.

In picking Ryan, the Romney campaign quickly emphasized the congressman's homey roots, releasing a bio that noted he was a fifth-generation Wisconsin native and the son of an attorney and a stay-at-home mom. Romney aides are hoping Ryan will help the GOP ticket win over working class voters, who have been openly skeptical of Romney's candidacy. In accepting the role of Romney's running mate, Paul made a direct appeal to that voting bloc on Saturday.

"I represent a part of America that includes inner cities, rural areas, suburbs and factory towns. Over the years I have seen and heard from a lot from families, from those running small businesses, and from people who are in need," Ryan said. "But what I have heard lately troubles me the most. There is something different in their voice and in their words. What I hear from them are diminished dreams, lowered expectations, uncertain futures."

The GOP ticket is set to embark on a four-day tour of four key battleground states, traveling through Virginia on Saturday. They will continue onto North Carolina on Sunday, Florida on Monday and Ohio and Tuesday. While nothing has been announced, a Romney aide told Yahoo News the two men might continue onto other battleground states later this week, including Ryan's home state of Wisconsin.

Speaking to supporters on Saturday with Romney at his side, Ryan vowed that, if elected, he and Romney won't "duck tough issues," "blame others," or "replacing our founding principals."

"We can turn this thing around. Real solutions can be delivered," Ryan declared. "But, it will take leadership. And the courage to tell you the truth."