Is America ready for the truth? The GOP campaign for the presidency is likely to be about hard truths. If voters are ready for an honest assessment of where our nation finds itself, Romney/Ryan can and should win. It’s just a very big if.

The beauty of not being on anyone’s payroll anymore is that I am free to say what I really think.

On Monday, I was quoted in an article in Politico, saying of Mitt Romney’s pick of Paul Ryan as his running mate: “I think it’s a very bold choice. An exciting and interesting pick. It’s going to elevate the campaign into a debate over big ideas. It means Romney/Ryan can run on principles and provide some real direction and vision for the Republican Party. And probably lose. Maybe big.”

I stand by those words. But, as always, the moral is found at the end of the story. Since I have a little more space here, allow me to explain.

My hope is that the Romney/Ryan campaign will tell the truth.

My fear is that Team Obama won’t.

Sensing the sudden shift in the winds, Democrats already have unleashed the hounds of hell and are likely to drive out of control on the low road in their attacks and demagoguery against the Republican duo.

Even if Paul Ryan tattooed the truth on his forehead—no changes to Medicare for those 55 and above—we will likely see an endless loop of grannies being pushed over the cliff.

By selecting Ryan, Romney has successfully refocused the race on big issues related to the budget and the economy: the issues we should be debating.  No more small ball.

And after more than three years in office, the harsh reality cannot so easily be disguised: It takes more than words to lead a nation.

Though we face record unemployment, nearly $16 trillion in debt, a tsunami of tax increases yet to come, plus massive unfunded liabilities for future Social Security and Medicare payouts in a nation of aging boomers, and a still broken health-care system, Congress is gridlocked with both parties unwilling to compromise, and the president appearing powerless to make the real structural reforms needed.

The easy choice is to do nothing to change. Medicare will indeed end as we know it. But only if we don’t do anything. As will Social Security. And we will enslave our children to a hopeless future of indebtedness.

The right choices will be difficult and will likely require sacrifice.

That’s why I believe Romney made the right choice in Ryan. For the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, and the nation. It elevates the race. And the battle of political ideas will be good for America.

We now have two very different competing visions of the future. And if voters are ready for the hard choices, Romney/Ryan is right for America.

But it will take more than a few good men and a few good women to handle the truth.

I hope America proves me wrong.