In a Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel interview, Rep. Paul Ryan slapped back at conservative critics who say the Romney campaign has been vague and timid.

Said Ryan: “A, we still have a ways to go. We still have a lot left that we’re planning on doing. B, I think that’s just what conservatives do by nature. I think that’s just the nature of conservative punditry is to do that – to kind of complain – about any imperfection they might see.”

The Week looks at Romney’s five toughest Republican critics.

Andrew Sullivan: “If Obama wins, to put it bluntly, he will become the Democrats’ Reagan. The narrative writes itself. He will emerge as an iconic figure who struggled through a recession and a terrorized world, reshaping the economy within it, passing universal health care, strafing the ranks of al -Qaeda, presiding over a civil-rights revolution, and then enjoying the fruits of the recovery. To be sure, the Obama recovery isn’t likely to have the same oomph as the one associated with Reagan–who benefited from a once-in-a-century cut of top income tax rates (from 70 percent to, at first, 50 percent, and then to 28 percent) as well as a huge jump in defense spending at a time when the national debt was much, much less of a burden. But Obama’s potential for Reagan status (maybe minus the airport-naming) is real.”

“Yes, Bill Clinton won two terms and is a brilliant pol bar none, as he showed in Charlotte in the best speech of both conventions. But the crisis Obama faced on his first day–like the one Reagan faced–was far deeper than anything Clinton confronted, and the future upside therefore is much greater. And unlike Clinton’s constant triangulating improvisation, Obama has been playing a long, strategic game from the very start–a long game that will only truly pay off if he gets eight full years to see it through. That game is not only changing America. It may also bring his opposition, the GOP, back to the center, just as Reagan indelibly moved the Democrats away from the far left.”

New York Times: “Through the halls of Congress and well beyond, a whisper campaign is bursting into the open: Rather than burden him with the usual constraints on a ticket’s No. 2 not to upstage or get ahead of the presidential nominee, let Ryan be Ryan and take a detailed, policy-heavy fight to President Obama and the Democrats.”

The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll “indicates that during the past two weeks — since just after the Democratic National Convention — support for Romney among Americans age 60 and older has crumbled, from a 20-point lead over President Obama to less than 4 points.”

“Romney’s double-digit advantages among older voters on the issues of healthcare and Medicare — the nation’s health insurance program for those over 65 and the disabled — also have evaporated, and Obama has begun to build an advantage in both areas.”

“I think that, you know, as president I bear responsibility for everything, to some degree.”

— President Obama, in an interview on 60 Minutes.

Wall Street Journal: “Trailing in most polls of battleground states, Mr. Romney embarks on his busiest week of campaigning since August’s Republican convention. He is in the middle of two days of events in Colorado before heading east for a speech in New York at the Clinton Global Initiative, then appearances in Ohio as part of a bus tour of the state.”

“In its latest bid to re-energize the campaign, the Romney camp has begun rolling out messages tailored to key groups in individual states, offering a housing plan in Nevada, where foreclosures have been high, and saying in Florida that Mr. Obama is undermining the space program, which is important to the state’s economy. Mr. Romney has run ads aimed at raising doubts about Mr. Obama’s energy policy in coal-rich parts of Ohio and Virginia. Aides said that effort will continue in coming weeks.”

A new Politico/GWU Battleground poll finds President Obama leading Mitt Romney by three points among likely voters, 50% to 47%.

Key finding: “The universe of voters who might change their mind also has shrunk significantly. One in five supporting a candidate said they’d consider someone else last month. Now it’s closer to one in 10. Regardless of who they’re supporting, 60 percent now expect Obama to win.”

A new Zogby Poll shows Obama with an eight point lead nationally, 49% to 41%.

A new Angus-Reid poll finds Obama ahead by two points, 48% to 46%.

A new Winston Group poll also finds Obama ahead by two points, 48% to 46%.

A new Public Policy Polling survey in Florida finds President Obama leading Mitt Romney by four points, 50% to 46%.

“Well, it doesn’t need a turnaround. I’ve got a very effective campaign. It’s doing a very good job.”

— Mitt Romney, in an interview on 60 Minutes.

Philadelphia Inquirer: “In the Columbus media market, home to the broadcast stations she watches, 18,482 presidential campaign ads aired during a typical late August week… That was three times more than in the close 2004 election and double the volume of four years ago.”

“Most of the spots are negative: President Obama, hapless failure; Republican Mitt Romney, heartless plutocrat.”

“The ads will not let up in Columbus, or Cleveland or Cincinnati or Toledo because Ohio is perhaps the most closely contested political real estate in the nation, a pivotal swing state with 18 electoral votes. Democratic and Republican strategists alike consider it a must-win.”

“Mitt Romney I think has an advantage, because he’s been through 20 of
these debates in the primaries over the last year.”

— Obama adviser Robert Gibbs, quoted by CNN.

A must-read: Oops! A Diary from the 2012 Campaign Trail by Jay Root.

Only available in iBooks format so far.

A new Mason-Dixon poll in Montana finds challenger Denny Rehberg (R) with a slight edge over Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) in U.S. Senate race, 48% to 45%.

Said pollster Brad Coker: “Usually, if an incumbent is trailing, that’s a problem. But this is just too close to call.”

The New York Times looks at the unlikely revival of Ralph Reed who soon “plans to unleash a sophisticated, microtargeted get-out-the-evangelical-vote operation that he believes could nudge open a margin of victory if Mr. Romney can keep the race close.”

“White evangelicals are a crucial voting constituency, 26 percent of the 2008 electorate and overwhelmingly Republican in recent presidential cycles, exit polls show. With so few truly undecided voters left, bumping up evangelical turnout in swing states like Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio would almost certainly help Mr. Romney.”

A new Enquirer/Ohio Newspaper Organization poll in Ohio shows President Obama leading Mitt Romney in the crucial battleground state by five points, 51% to 46%.

Key finding: “When survey participants were asked which candidate would do the best job of improving economic conditions in Ohio, Obama prevailed by 5 points.”

Said pollster Eric Rademacher: “Clearly, how Ohioans view the two candidates in terms of their ability to improve Ohio’s economy over the next four years will go a long way in determining who wins Ohio’s 18 electoral votes.”