OK, Obama: This Is Your 'Moment of Truth'

However you feel about Paul Ryan's controversial budget plan to drastically cut government spending and redefine Medicare and Medicaid, it's clear this is not your usual dry debate about numbers:

• David Brooks, New York Times: Brooks praises Ryan's political courage and says he's stepping to the "vacuum created by the president's passivity." Ryan's plan "creates the pivotal moment of truth for President Obama," writes Brooks. "Will he come up with his own counterproposal, or will he simply demagogue the issue by railing against 'savage' Republican cuts and ignoring the long-term fiscal realities? Does he have a sustainable vision for government, or will he just try to rise above the fray while Nancy Pelosi and others attack Ryan?"

• Rachel Maddow, MSNBC: Maddow frames the debate within a big, big question, notes Mike Allen's Playbook blog at Politico. "Is government important?" she asked on her show last night. "Republicans picked today to announce their intentions to kill Medicare. This is a long slow curveball over the plate if the president and Democrats are willing to try to win this next election by winning the big argument." See the video clip in the gallery.

(More Paul Ryan stories.)