Reconciliation

Recap: Paul Ryan, the ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee, explains what the GOP would do to help the economy recover. And in an interview from last week, Kent Conrad, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, lays out the Democrats' approach.

Elsewhere:

1) Senate Republicans are looking to gut IPAB, which is probably our best bet for holding down future Medicare costs.

2) True/Slant's been bought by Forbes, but most of its blogs appear to think they're shutting down. I'm confused.

3) I agree with Matt Yglesias's take on Time's emotionally manipulative Afghanistan cover. I support making the improvement of global living condition's a more central element of our foreign policy. But that's not what we're doing in Afghanistan, and it's not how we should be thinking about what we're doing in Afghanistan.

4) I'll be on "Countdown" tonight about 8:15 Eastern, talking tax cuts.

Recipe of the day: I really like pasta-in-broth dishes, and this one with potatoes and chorizo looks particularly good.