Krugman is terrific!

Paul Krugman is angry. He has been criticizing Paul Ryan about his economic proposals—and the supposedly "serious" people who have been taken in by them. Ryan is apparently a nice guy. But that's not the point. He is, according to Krugman, intellectually dishonest. Krugman continues about other intellectual dishonesty and how we have been taken in by them.

Long ago — basically when I started writing for the Times — I decided that I would judge the character of politicians by what they say about policy, not how they come across in person. This led me to conclude that George W. Bush was dishonest and dangerous back when everyone was talking about how charming and reasonable he was. It led me to conclude that Colin Powell couldn’t be trusted, back when everyone said his UN speech clinched the case for war. It led me to conclude that John McCain was unprincipled and self-centered, back when everyone said he was a deeply principled maverick. And yes, it led me to conclude that Barack Obama was a good man, but far less progressive than his enthusiastic supporters imagined.

And so I don’t care how Paul Ryan comes across. I look at how he has gone about selling his ideas, and I see an unscrupulous flimflammer.