Is Paul Ryan thinking of running for president? I caught up with the House Budget Committee Chairman last night when he spoke at the Washington chapter of the Alexander Hamilton Society at the St. Regis Hotel, three blocks north of the White House. Interestingly, Ryan spoke largely about foreign affairs. He began by noting our “unsustainable trajectory of government spending” and segued to foreign policy, citing Charles Krauthammer’s 2009 warning that “decline is a choice” and a choice we don’t have to and should not make. He embraced American exceptionalism and argued that our values are universally applicable. “We have to be consistent and clear in the promotion of our principles,” he said, “while recognizing that different situations will require different tools for achieving that end.” It’s a thoughtful and intelligent speech. You can find a good summary and a full transcript in Michael Warren’s Weekly Standard blogpost.
One question hung over the meeting, and was briefly mentioned by National Review editor Rich Lowry in his 20-minute colloquy with Ryan after the speech: Will Paul Ryan run for president? Before the talk began I asked Ryan if he had read Paul Rahe’s ricochet.com blogpost entitled “Paul Ryan: A Duty to Serve.” Ryan has said that one reason he is not interested in running for president is that he would have to spend time away from his family, including three young children. Rahe, referencing Jennifer Rubin’s reflections in her Washington Post Right Turn blog on how Navy sailors and officers spend months away from their families, argues that Ryan has a duty to serve. His final paragraph is pretty strong stuff. It reads:
