CARNIEGE, Pa. -- At a steel manufacturer in Western Pennsylvania Tuesday, Congressman Paul Ryan took some swipes at President Obama, serving up red meat on guns and religion and even Joe the Plumber and "spread the wealth."

“Hey, I’m a Catholic deer-hunter," Ryan said at Beaver Steel just outside Pittsburgh. "I am happy to be clinging to my guns and my religion."

The comments the presumptive GOP vice-presidential nominee made referenced remarks Obama made on the campaign trail back in 2008.

“You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them," Obama said then speaking at a San Francisco fundraiser four year ago. "And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are going to regenerate, and they have not. And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”

Making his debut in the Keystone State today, Ryan -- an avid Green Bay Packers fan -- came out waving a Pittsburgh Steelers' "Terrible Towel” as he entered the venue with more than 2,000 people in attendance and proclaimed his passion for football.

“Wow. You know, these things are intimidating on TV,” Ryan admitted about the gold towel he then placed in his back pocket.

Steelers owner Dan Rooney, by the way, is currently serving as President Obama's ambassador to Ireland.

Speaking in front of a large “We did build IT!” sign, the seven-term congressman also gave the crowd another 2008 flashback, telling the crowd about Joe the Plumber.

“You know, every now and then President Obama sort of drops his veil," Ryan said. "He’s less coy about his philosophy. He sort of reveals his true governing policy, what he really believes. Remember back in 2008, remember the guy Joe the Plumber? Remember when he said, you know, ‘We wanna spread the wealth around’? It’s this belief that the economy is some fixed pie, that there’s only just so much money in America, it’s fixed, and that the job of the government is to redistribute the slices of the pie. That’s not true.”

These lines from Ryan on President Obama’s 2008 campaign are new to the congressman’s stump speech.

GOFFSTOWN, NH -- With 10 American troops killed fighting in Afghanistan in the last two weeks alone, America’s decade-long war was front and center Monday morning during Mitt Romney’s 100^th town hall as the GOP ticket was asked to weigh in by a veteran about what they would do with the “damn mess in Afghanistan.”

“I will address the American people about these issues and with regards to Afghanistan," Romney contended before a crowd of about 3,500. "I will do everything in my power to transition from our military to their military as soon as possible, bring our men and women home and do so in a way consistent with our mission which is to keep Afghanistan from being overrun by a new entity that would allow Afghanistan to be a launching point for terror again like it was on 9/11."

Romney has previously criticized Obama setting a timeline, then appeared to shift on that last month. It indicated support for the 2014 timeline, but accused the president of being for it for political reasons. 

Romney said the president should be addressing the nation on a regular basis during war time but failed to mention that the President has, in fact, updated the country on affairs abroad several times, including just this past May on national television from Afghanistan.

“We will work with the Afghans to determine what support they need to accomplish two narrow security missions beyond 2014: counter-terrorism and continued training," the president told troops on May 1. "But we will not build permanent bases in this country, nor will we be patrolling its cities and mountains. That will be the job of the Afghan people."

In his first appearance in the Granite State during the 2012 cycle, presumptive GOP nominee Paul Ryan put his national security knowledge on display, as well.

“And when you give the military a specific mission and the military tells you, here is what we need to complete this mission, to keep our soldiers, sailors, airman, and Marines safe, you give them what they ask for. It is very important,” said Ryan, who went on to criticize Obama’s troop drawdown in the middle of the fighting season.

Many have raised questions around the seven-term Wisconsin congressman’s foreign-policy background since he was selected as Romney’s VP choice just 10 days ago. Although Romney has also said that listening to commanders on the ground is vital, he has also echoed support for the 2014 timeline. Ryan's statement seems at odds with that support of a timeline.

Today, Ryan not only weighed in on Afghanistan, but fielded a question on Israel and Iran too.

“It is very vital and important that the signals we send, that the leadership we provide, that we strengthen our relationship with our allies, that we improve this relationship, which has deteriorated so much under this president, so that our allies in this region are negotiating from a position of strength and not being undercut by the United States of America when they’re trying to arrive at peace,” he said noting Israel is America’s strongest allies.

The turn to foreign policy today comes as violence in Afghanistan has ticked up. The campaign has also recently taken an increasingly negative tone, with both campaigns levying charges of dishonesty in their advertising and on the stump. Today, Romney took a shot at the president for what one questioner said were dishonest attacks against Romney on his tax record.

“It seems that the first victim of an Obama campaign is the truth, and it has been – it has been sad and disappointing,” Romney told the crowd in the quad at St. Anselm’s College. “I will not raise taxes on the American people, I will not raise taxes on middle income Americans, we’re going to make sure that Americans have the money to pay their bills, we’re not going to raise taxes, that slows down growth, it kills jobs, we’re going to get this economy going, and Mr. President, stop saying something that’s not the truth.”

Romney, though, is running an ad accusing the president of wanting to get rid of work requirements in welfare, a charge that has been widely discredited. The Romney campaign has not only created one version of this ad, but three, including one just this morning.

After making this joint appearance to kick off the last full week before the Republican National Committee convention, Romney and Ryan will now campaign separately -- Romney heads to New Orleans, LA, and Ryan to Pittsburgh, PA.

THE VILLAGES, Fla. -- Campaigning with his retired mother at his side, Congressman Paul Ryan made the Romney-Ryan ticket pitch for fixing Medicare Saturday morning before thousands at the world's largest senior citizens community.

“Like a lot of Americans, when I think about Medicare it's not just a program, it's not just a bunch of numbers, it's what my mom relies on, it's what my grandma had,” Ryan said in his most detailed campaign speech yet. “Medicare was there for our family, for my grandma, when we needed it then; and Medicare is there for my mom while she needs it now, and we have to keep that guarantee.”

In a very personal appeal to the crowd that started with Ryan walking hand-and-hand with his 78-year-old mother, Betty Douglas, he promised to make sure “bureaucrats will not mess with my mom’s healthcare or your mom’s healthcare.”

The presumptive GOP vice presidential nominee also assured the crowd at The Villages the Romney-Ryan plan will not affect those already in retirement.

“Our solution to preserve, protect, and save Medicare does not affect your benefits. Let me repeat that. Our plan does not affect the benefits for people who are in or near retirement. It’s a promise that was made and it’s a promise that must be kept,” he said, with a large “protect & strengthen Medicare” sign behind him. “To save it for this generation, you have to reform it for my generation so it doesn’t go bankrupt when we retire.”

The Chairman of the House Budget Committee, speaking in the state with the highest concentration of voters over 65 in the country, had harsh words for President Barack Obama, as well.

“Here is what the president won’t tell you about his Medicare plan—about Obamacare. The president raids $716 billion from the Medicare program to pay for the Obamacare program,” Ryan told the crowd in the battleground state that went for Obama in the 2008 election. “Medicare should not be used as a piggy bank for Obamacare. Medicare should be used to be the promise that it made to our current seniors. Period. End of Story.”

Saturday’s rally marks Ryan’s first visit to Florida since being tapped as Mitt Romney’s VP exactly a week ago. The presumptive GOP VP’s plan to overhaul Medicare has been the focus of both Democrats' and the Obama campaign's attacks since he was selected.

Several thousand retirees turned out in one of The Villages’ town squares not only to hear the seven-term Wisconsin congressman speak but were also able to enjoy the sounds of Lee Greenwood, who sang “Proud to be an American” on stage just before Ryan and his mom walked up.

While Ryan focused on outlining the Medicare plan under a Romney administration in Florida, Mitt Romney was holding six private fundraisers in New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.

ARLINGTON, Va. – Presumptive Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan released two years of tax returns late Friday.

They are posted on the Mitt Romney campaign’s website.

Ryan and his wife, Janna, paid an effective tax rate of 15.9 percent in 2010 and 20 percent in 2011, the returns show.

Ryan’s release matches what Romney has pledged to release, not what he’s actually released.

Romney filed for an extension on his 2011 returns, but hasn't yet released them. He has said he would do so before the election. Romney’s estimated 2011 return is posted along with his 2010 return.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel was first with the news that the Ryans’ released the information Friday night, a week after news broke that the Wisconsin congressman would in fact be tapped the next day as Romney’s running mate.

According to his financial disclosure statements, Ryan’s overall net worth is estimated between $2 million and $7.7 million.

In 2010, the couple paid $34,233 in federal taxes on $215,417 of adjusted gross income, the returns show. In 2011, they paid $64,764 in federal taxes on $323,416 of adjusted gross income. Both years include five personal exemptions for the Ryans and their three young children.

No 2012 taxes are ready yet, but Romney and Ryan have vowed to release those returns too. Presumably they would release them if elected.

Romney revived the issue of taxes Thursday when he told reporters at a press conference in South Carolina that he had “never paid less than a 13 percent effective tax rate after reviewing his returns from the past decade.” 

SPRINGFIELD, Va. -- Paul Ryan ventured into the debate surrounding the Middle East on Friday afternoon for the first time since being named the presumptive GOP vice presidential nominee.

“This is the first responsibility of our federal government,” Ryan said about national security. “And one of the critical means and needs for a strong national defense is because the world needs America’s leadership.”

He continued: “In the past day, Iran’s president called our ally Israel, quote, a cancerous tumor that must be excised. Let me be really clear. Under President Romney, our adversaries will think twice about challenging America and our allies because we believe in peace through strength. There will be no daylight between America and our friends around the world. Strong national defense, peace through strength, strong relationship with our allies." 

Ryan, the seven-term Wisconsin congressman who serves as the House Budget Committee chairman, has been criticized for not having enough foreign policy experience to serve on Mitt Romney's ticket because he typically works on domestic issues.

Thursday, Ryan addressed the trade policies with China.

President Barack Obama “said he’d go to the mat with China. Instead they’re treating him like a doormat.  We’re not going to let that happen,” Ryan told the crowd in North Canton, Ohio. “Mitt Romney and I are going to crack down on China cheating. We’re going to make sure that trade works for Americans.”

Friday, while speaking in the battleground state of Virginia, the Wisconsin congressman also weighed in on the pending $500 billion in defense cuts — part of what’s known as “sequestration.”

"Now there’s one thing we’re going to have to deal with to make sure we protect jobs in Virginia and around America. And that is these devastating defense cuts that president Obama is promising. That is the lack of leadership that he is providing. They call it sequester and all of that. Well I tell you what, in the House, we already passed the bill to cut spending in other areas of government to make sure that these devastating cuts to defense never occur so we don’t put Virginians out of work and so we have a strong national defense. That’s extremely important," he said.

LAKEWOOD, CO -- Congressman Paul Ryan found himself in the battleground state of Colorado Tuesday, but not exactly in the capacity he had imagined several months back, he says.

Ryan, who was tapped as Mitt Romney’s running mate this weekend, held his first solo campaign rally today in a Denver suburb about an hour away from where he had said he was to be camping with his family during congressional recess.

“I was actually planning on being here in Colorado this week, only on my family vacation,” Ryan told the crowd inside Lakewood High School. “You see my family is over at our national forest here in Colorado while we speak, we come here every summer, I've been climbing fourteeners in this great state for over 20 years in this great state.”

"Fourteeners" is a reference to Colorado's 14,000-foot Rocky Mountain peaks.

The reception for the GOP vice-presidential nominee at his first solo campaign rally was enthusiastic -- his nearly 20-minute speech in The Centennial State brought the 2,000-plus person crowd to their feet several times.

This pro-Romney-Ryan-ticket crowd was a big change from Monday -- when the Wisconsin congressman was stumping in Iowa at the state fair and was drowned out by hecklers during most of his speech.

During Ryan’s first full week campaigning since the VP announcement, he will hit six different battleground states on his own: Iowa, Colorado, Nevada, Ohio, Virginia, and Florida. It’s a mix of both rallies and fundraisers.

Last night, the congressman held two closed press fundraisers in the Denver area and tonight he will hold a “finance meeting” at The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. It is unclear if Sheldon Adelson -- the billionaire who backs Romney and even attended a fundraiser in Israel for the ticket -- will attend tonight’s meeting.

The Romney campaign says it has now raised $7.4 million online from more than 101,000 donations, since the Ryan pick was announced.

DES MOINES, IA -- Paul Ryan’s first solo campaign stop since being announced as Mitt Romney’s running mate was marred by constant interruptions from loud protesters Monday while visiting the Hawkeye State on the same day President Obama kicked off his bus tour here.
 
Ryan’s "welcome" at the popular Iowa State Fair -- where he was never knocked off message -- was similar to receptions he has received in his neighboring home state of Wisconsin, which saw tremendous amounts of protest during its fight over collective bargaining and its recall elections.
 
“It was great,” Ryan said about the event following his roughly 10-minute speech at the Des Moines Register’s Soap Box stage. “You know, in Wisconsin, we've been dealing with this sort of thing with these recall elections. It was an overwhelming crowd of support and it was exciting to do it and I love coming to the fair.”
 
The scene at the fairgrounds was very chaotic as Ryan attempted to make his way through the crowd –- shaking hands with folks along the way near the food vendors. During the speech, two women even attempted to get on the stage before security was forced to pull them away.
 
RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, who made the trip to Iowa with his fellow Wisconsinite Sunday night, didn’t seem too concerned about the environment. 
 
“It’s an open forum. Public discourse right?” he said.
 
The Wisconsin congressman –- just tapped as Romney’s VP two days ago -– ventured to the battleground state of Iowa without Romney to bracket Obama’s three-day bus tour in the state. Ryan walked around the fair with Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Congressman Steve King by his side.
 
"I heard that President Obama is starting his bus tour today, and I heard he wasn't going to come to the Iowa state fair," Ryan told the crowd before getting interrupted by a women shouting about Medicare. He continued: "My guess is the reason that the reason President Obama isn't making it here from Council Bluffs is he only knows left turns, but as you see the president come through on his bus tour you may ask him the same question I get asked all over America. And that is: Where are the jobs Mr. President?"

Ryan, who spent most of the morning meeting with staff both in person and via teleconference -- failed to address a big issue locally.
 
The state of Iowa, like much of the Midwest, is suffering from a severe drought.
 
Asked about how he thinks the government could help in these circumstances, Ryan said, “We'll get into all these policy things later... I just want to enjoy the fair.”
 
A Ryan aide told reporters, however, that the congressman voted for the drought relief bill  earlier this month -- the Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act Of 2012 -- and blamed the inaction from Congress on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
 
Ryan heads to Colorado for two private fundraisers Monday night and a public event Tuesday morning in the Denver area.