Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., was one of four House Republcians to vote agaonst Rep. Paul Ryan's budget. And, ads supporting his candidacy have pointed to that vote as a example of how he can break party ranks when he needs to protect Montana seniors.

Just the same, he said this morning he was delighted that Mitt Romney had tapped Ryan as his vice presidential pick, referring to the Wisconsin representative as "my friend and House colleague."

"I appreciate his character, intelligence, and creativity, not only on the vast majority of issues on which we agree — like controlling government...