Ryan Is Officially Out

by Zack Beauchamp

Stephen F. Hayes, who broke the story that Ryan was seriously considering running, explains:

Several sources close to Ryan tell THE WEEKLY STANDARD they were surprised at how close he came to running. Over the past several weeks, Ryan had talked extensively about running with select Republican party leaders, GOP strategists, and a tight circle of Wisconsin friends and advisers. In private meetings with fundraisers and conservative movement leaders he expressed skepticism that he could win, and raised concerns about the toll a race would take on his family. But he nonetheless made clear that he was open to running.

Bill Kristol is a very sad panda. Robert Costa has more on Ryan's thinking. Weigel insists the Ryan boomlet never made sense. Previous Dish coverage here and here.