Saving Speaker Ryan

House Speaker Paul Ryan explained to lawmakers on Monday that it is no longer politically or personally possible for him to campaign with, or defend, Donald Trump. Although Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hasn’t said the same thing explicitly, he appears to take much the same view. Both men have decided to focus their energy and attention on keeping Republican control of the House and Senate.

This is the right thing to do. They deserve support as they perform this act of political triage and let individual members of Congress know that they will not face recrimination or retribution if they distance themselves from their party’s presidential nominee.