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Mitt Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan sat down for their first joint interview on Sunday’s 60 Minutes . In the softball interview with Bob Schieffer , the pair didn’t reveal much new information, finding it an opportunity to drive home some of the Romney campaign’s central messages. Asked about when he made the final decision about his running mate, Romney said he had kept an open mind with his options and committed to picking Ryan on August 1. Calling Ryan “a real leader,” Romney touted his “passion for making a difference.” Chiming in, Ryan noted that the country is in a “very perilous position” — and that he’s been focused on tackling the economic and fiscal challenges “before it tackles us.” Exuding confidence in his choice, Romney asserted that Ryan could be president, should the occasion arise, that that was the first and most important criterion used in vetting. He further touted Ryan’s experience in Washington, arguing that he’s worked in ways that are “not highly parti...

Appearing on CBS’ Face the Nation , Newt Gingrich offered an opinion about the Romney/Ryan ticket that falls outside the conventional wisdom. Not having much foreign policy experience isn’t an issue, he asserted. Quite the opposite, in fact. Prefacing his statement with “I’m going to shock you,” Gingrich went on to argue, “I think that it is an advantage that they are not part of the current mess.” Mitt Romney , he added, has just about the same amount of foreign policy experience as Ronald Reagan did. And Reagan “defeated the Soviet empire.” “I would rather have Romney and Ryan rethinking everything than have the current team continue,” Gingrich said, pointing to the “disaster” in the Middle East. Asked about whether he feels he knows what Romney’s foreign policy philosophy is, Gingrich said he thinks he knows how Romney will approach foreign policy. Specifically, he noted, Romney will be cautious, think closely about America’s interests, apply a “decision-making process that relie...