In their own words

President Obama, speaking of the GOP-backed Ryan budget plan: "It's a Trojan horse. Disguised as a deficit-reduction plan, it's really an attempt to impose a radical vision on our country. It's nothing but thinly veiled social Darwinism."

Obama: "One of my potential opponents, Governor Romney, has said that he hoped that a similar version of this plan would be introduced as a bill on Day One of his presidency. He said that he's very supportive of this new budget and he even called it 'marvelous,' which is a word you don't often hear when it comes to describing budgets."

Obama: "Ronald Reagan, who as I recall was not accused of being a tax-and-spend socialist, understood repeatedly that when the deficit started to get out of control that for him to make a deal he would have to propose both spending cuts and tax increases. He did it multiple times. He could not get through a Republican primary today."

Mitt Romney: "This president is unwilling to take responsibility for his mistakes, and he's going to be looking everywhere he can to find someone else to blame."

House Speaker John Boehner: "He has chosen to campaign rather than govern."

Rep. Paul Ryan: "History will not be kind to a president who, when it came time to confront our generation's defining challenge, chose to duck and run."