This  morning on the USS Wisconsin docked at Norfolk, Virginia, presumptive  Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney announced he had chosen  Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan to be his running mate.

With  16 days to go before GOP delegates gather from across the nation in  Tampa Bay, Florida to officially nominate Romney and now Ryan to be the  party's candidates to run against President Barack Obama and Vice  President Joe Biden this fall, Romney chose an early Saturday morning to  make his long-awaited announcement.

Many  are saying that Romney made a bold choice rather than a safe choice in  selecting Ryan. Ryan is best known for his work on the budget issue.  Ryan's 2011 budget proposal was greatly criticized over what was  perceived as ending Medicare. In 2012 Ryan came back with a new budget  proposal that seemed to have been crafted listening to seniors and  Democratic opponents. In the 2012 proposal, Ryan's budget plan allowed  exemptions from any changes in Medicare for those 55 and older, which  included all current recipients.

Ryan  has stated that his budget proposal is a starting point. He has stated  it is means for dialogue and a chance for Congress and the American  people to address the issues and concerns with Medicare, Social Security  and Medicaid.

Democrats  are already having a heydey. Democrats are prepared to slam Romney's  pick of Ryan as Republicans waging a war on seniors and taking away  Medicare and the end of safety nets in America.

How  energized this will make the GOP and whether it will satisfy Tea Party  activists is the big questions. Many conservatives over the last week  had been pushing for Romney to select Ryan.

What  the choice does do is put the economy, jobs and the national debt dead  center of the Republican push for November. With Ryan known by many as  the GOP economic wonk-in-chief, it will be interesting to see if Romney  moves to more details and specifics on how to fix the economy.

From the Cornfield, for better or worse, the Republican ticket is Mitt Romney for President and Paul Ryan for Vice President.