Ryan on Gingrich: 'With Allies Like That, Who Needs The Left?'

The Hill's Michael O'Brien writes:

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) took a swipe Monday at Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich after the former House Speaker criticized Ryan's proposed Medicare reforms. 

"With allies like that, who needs the left?" Ryan told guest host Raymond Arroyo on conservative talker Laura Ingraham's radio show. [...]

"Hardly is that social engineering and radical," he said. "What's radical is kicking the can down the road."

According to Gingrich's spokesman, the substantial disagreement between Gingrich and Ryan amounts to little more than whether or not to include a "public option"--Gingrich favors, Ryan's open to it--for Medicare beneficiaries. But Gingrich's wild rhetoric--"radical ... right-wing social engineering"--made it seem like the divide is much greater.