WASHINGTON (AP) – Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has picked Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan to be his vice presidential running mate, party officials said early Saturday. The 42-year-old Ryan is the House Budget Committee Chairman. He’s best known as the architect of an intensely controversial plan to remake Medicare and cut spending and taxes.  These officials said Romney intends to make a formal announcement in Norfolk, Virginia today at the start of a four-day bus tour through several battleground states. They spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to disclose the decision. 
    In a statement issued Friday night, Romney’s campaign said only that the running mate would be present at 9 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time at the Nauticus Museum in Norfolk, Virginia. The USS Wisconsin is berthed there — offering a hint about Ryan’s selection.