Brooks: You Can't Judge Ryan Fairly Unless You've Interviewed Him

Gail Collins and David Brooks return to NYT online today for one of their debates, this week on Paul Ryan, the new Brooks heart-throb (although he thinks the Romney pick could backfire).  Check out this staggeringly offensive statement by Brooks: "I have enormous respect for Ryan and I regard most of the commentary I’ve read about him by people who’ve never even interviewed him to be ludicrous." In other words, you can't have an informed, perhaps even incisive, opinion of Ryan--unless you've sat down with him, notebook or beer on hand!

He goes on to praise how amazingly "supple" Ryan is, how canny, what a strategist, the power of his ideas, and so on.  Starbursts! Then: "Romney and Ryan do have an incredibly brave and sensible Medicare reform package on offer."  Gail, for a change, mostly caves.