General Bob Brooke, United States Army retired, gives U.S. Sen. Jim Risch a mug for speaking at the North Idaho Pachyderm Club breakfast this morning.

Huckleberries: What do you consider the top 2 or 3 issues today?

U.S. Sen. Jim Risch: By far and away there is really only one issue today. And that's the precarious issue of our finances. The federal government will spend $3.8 trillion this year which doesn't mean anything to anyone because of the size of that number. But when I tell you that they will borrow 40% of it, between $4 and $5 billion every day (twice the annual budget of the entire state of Idaho), it will help put it into perspective.

• Huckleberries: Do you support the Ryan plan to rein in the federal spending?
• Jim Risch: We actually have a plan in the Senate that's better than the Ryan plan. Ryan is a patriot and hero for what he's done. But he didn't go far enough. His proposal doesn't balance the budget. The Pat Toomey plan in the Senate does balance the budget.
• Huckleberries: What is the impact of the Tea Party on Congress?
• Jim Risch: There's a tremendous impact from the fact that the American people have awakened to the idea that this country is going broke. The Tea Party movement is only one manifestation of that awakening. There's lots more that's going on out there. Cumulatively, it is having a significant effect on many individuals and not surprisingly almost no effect on others. Those others are groups elected from populations that rely heavily on government programs for livelihood.
• More below

• Huckleberries: Who's going to be the Republican candidate for the presidency?
• Jim Risch: I don't know. I was chairman of Mitt Romney's campaign four years ago. The field's pretty wide open right now. Obama is going to be vulnerable. But it's going to take a decent candidate to beat him. The presidential incumbency is huge. In D.C. you hear a lot of talk about him being vulnerable because of the unemployment figures. Another thing makes him more vulnerable -- the price of gas. He comes from a different background. He's a big-city person. He doesn't realize the impact of gas prices as much as a person in Middle America. There's growing anger over the price of gas.
• Huckleberries: Would you push to take school M&O off the property tax again today, given the bad financial situation that Idaho publlc education is in?
• Jim Risch: I didn't take all the M&O off. I took the last of the M&O off through a special session of the Legislature. I said I would only do this if people of Idaho would agree in fall. 72% of Idaho said yes that fall. Every precinct voted in favor of that. It wasn't just me that did this. But I led the charge on this. The Idaho people can reverse this. But I'd bet the farm that they won't. Is there less money now? Yes. But the fact is ... when the economy cycles, everything needs to recycle with it. You can isolate one entity. If there's no money, there's no money.
• Huckleberries: When is your term up? And are you planning to run again?
• Jim Risch: I thoroughly enjoy what I'm doing now. My health is good. If I had to make the decision today, it would be a no-brainer.