Antitax activist Grover Norquist, the keeper of the no-new-taxes pledge that virtually all Republican politicians have signed, has a new set of marching orders for the GOP troops, especially for the party’s presidential hopefuls: Enact Rep. Paul Ryan‘s budget plan.

Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

In an extensive interview with Wall Street Journal reporters and editors, the president of Americans for Tax Reform said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich ran into trouble with Republicans not so much because he called the Ryan plan “right-wing social engineering” but because he thought Republicans are looking for a “big thinker” with brave new plans. They aren’t, Mr. Norquist said.

“We know where we want to go,” Mr. Norquist said of Mr. Ryan’s “Path to Prosperity.” “We just need someone to sign the bills.”…