The recent vice presidential debate between incumbent Joe Biden and challenger Paul Ryan was a fiery one to be sure, and now that a few days have passed and the outcome of the debate has been properly digested, several judgments can be made.

While conventional wisdom says that embracing a plan as unpopular as Ryan’s is not smart politics, Romney and Ryan might be banking on the fact that most of the negative attention the plan has received is based on the claim that the plan would hurt seniors by cutting Medicare – a claim that is utterly false.

Voters always knew this election would be about a choice, and the stark contrast between the two tickets provides the electorate with a very meaningful choice to make. Prepare yourself America; this is going to be a fiery election indeed.

As the bishops made clear, the severe Ryan Budget contradicts the most basic premises of Catholic social teaching. The philosophy behind the draconian cuts instead comes directly from Paul Ryan’s high school sweetheart, Ayn Rand, the author of Atlas Shrugged.

This election just got an upgrade. Ryan will force Romney to talk about the budget, and therefore, it will force the president to talk about the budget.

But even more importantly, the selection of Ryan sends the message that Romney will push for policies that he believes are best for this country, even if they may be politically unpopular.

This week, Paul Ryan caters to millionaires, Sarah Palin plays Katie Couric, and it’s Romney by a nose!

You can say whatever you want about House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (R- WI), but you can’t deny this—the man has cojones.