There are three Republican presidential candidates left in the race, and chances are, one of them will be the party’s nominee. On “Fox News Sunday” yesterday, Chris Wallace asked RNC Chairman Reince Priebus the question that’s on the minds of many: Isn’t it possible, at a contested convention, that the nomination could go to someone who isn’t already a candidate? 
 
 Priebus described such as a scenario as an “extreme hypothetical,” which he considers “highly unlikely.” The Republican leader twice said it’s “possible” for a non-candidate to end up as the nominee, but Priebus reiterated his belief that the Republican ticket will be led by “one of the three people [currently] running.” 
 
 And yet, some in Priebus’ party can’t seem to let go of their dream. Politico reported this morning there are still “top” Republican insiders talking up the idea of nominating House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). 
 
 On the eve of the Wisconsin primaries, top Republicans are becoming increasingly vocal about their long-held belief that Speaker Paul Ryan will wind up as the nominee, perhaps on the fourth ballot at a chaotic Cleveland convention. One of the nation’s best-wired Republicans, with an enviable prediction record for this cycle, sees a 60 percent chance of a convention deadlock and a 90 percent chance that delegates turn to Ryan – ergo, a 54 percent chance that Ryan, who’ll start the third week of July as chairman of the Republican National Convention, will end it as the nominee. 
 
 The piece, from Politico’s Mike Allen, added that the Wisconsin congressman is “more calculating and ambitious than he lets on.” It added that Ryan “is running the same playbook he did to become speaker: saying he doesn’t want it, that it won’t happen. In both cases, the maximum leverage is to not want it – and to be begged to do it.” 
 
 The Speaker happens to be in Israel right now, but he called into Hugh Hewitt’s conservative radio show this morning to once again he rejects the speculation. “I think you need to run for president in order to be president,” Ryan said . “I’m not running for president, so, period. End of story.” 
 
 Except, it’s probably not the end of the story. 
 
 The Republicans and pundits keeping these embers burning have been quick to note, accurately, that Paul Ryan made similar comments after John Boehner’s retirement, saying he wouldn’t be a candidate for Speaker. The Wisconsin Republican, we now know, can be talked into accepting great power when it’s offered to him on a platter – which means the speculation will continue, probably until the convention itself. 
 
 But so long as the chatter continues, let’s keep a few relevant details in mind. The first is the simple fact that if Republicans hold 50+ nominating contests over a six-month period, and then nominate someone who did not run for president – and has said repeatedly that he does not want to be president – the prospect of party-wide chaos shouldn’t be dismissed too quickly. 
 
 Second, the assumption that Paul Ryan represents electoral magic for the GOP continues to be wrong. The Speaker was on the Republican ticket four years ago – when he failed to win his home state – and recent polling suggests the American mainstream doesn’t share the Beltway’s affection for the GOP House leader. 
 
 Finally, let’s say for the sake of conversation that all of the obvious hurdles simply disappear. Let’s imagine convention delegates were willing to embrace Ryan without controversy; the Speaker decided he wouldn’t mind being president after all; the party wouldn’t fracture; and polls turned in his favor. Even then, the idea would be dubious on the merits: The Republican Party would find itself in late July with a presidential nominee who has no campaign infrastructure, no platform, no stump speech, no staff, and no money. ||||| President Obama and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) walk past each put during a lunch celebrating St. Patrick's Day for Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 15, 2016. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) 
 
 Update: Ryan commented further on the intrigue surrounding him and the GOP nomination on Thursday. He said, "It’s not going to be me, it should be somebody running for president." He also said he chided Boehner for talking him up as a potential GOP nominee. "I saw Boehner last night and I told him to knock it off." We'll let everyone decide just his Sherman-esque those statements are. 
 
 When a politician says something, there's often more than one way to interpret it. It's what Twitter and, arguably, this blog are for. But ultimately, deciphering a politician's true intention is in the eye of the beholder. 
 
 And Paul Ryan's interview with CNBC's John Harwood on Tuesday night will likely have to fall into that gray area: Did he or did he not keep the door to a presidential run open? 
 
 Ryan told Harwood he hasn't given much thought the idea of accepting a last-minute nomination at a contested convention this July. 
 
 Plus, the facts don't add up to a guy who's toying with running for president: A committee set up to persuade him to run shut down, apparently at the urging of his aides. And to the casual observer, Ryan seems much more focused on his new job as speaker than trying to launch a clandestine presidential bid. In his interview with Harwood, Ryan indicated he doesn't even want the job (right now, at least). 
 
 "I actually think you should run for president if you're going to be president, if you want to be president," he said. "I'm not running for president. I made that decision, consciously, not to." 
 
 But. Ryan also wouldn't, in Harwood's words, "categorically" rule out accepting Republicans' nomination if it was offered to him at the convention in July. Here's the key passage: 
 
 "You know, I haven't given any thought to this stuff. People say, 'What about the contested convention?' I say, well, there are a lot of people running for president. We'll see. Who knows?" Ryan said. 
 
 His aides immediately sought to clamp down on the buzzy nature of Ryan's "Who knows?" comment, focusing on the fact that Ryan said he consciously made the decision not to run. 
 
 On Paul Ryan/CNBC interview, key line overlooked: PR: "I'm happy where I am, so no." He ruled it out, as he's done many times in the past. — AshLee Strong (@AshLeeStrong) March 16, 2016 
 
 But Ryan's interview is creating buzz -- even among former House Speaker John Boehner, who Politico reports endorsed Ryan for president if no one wins the nomination outright -- for two reasons: One, he's one of Republicans' undisputed leaders. He's the speaker of the House. He's in charge of presiding over the convention itself. And he's the party's 2012 vice presidential nominee. 
 
 Ryan is fully aware of the goings-on of a convention and likely even more acutely aware of the weight his words carry at such an uncertain time for his party. The "Who knows?" remark, this argument goes, wasn't just a slip of the tongue. 
 
 And two, his interview with Harwood came as Donald Trump was in the process of sweeping at least three, and possibly four, of the five states voting in the GOP nominating process on Tuesday. The realization is sinking in among Republicans, Tuesday by Tuesday, that Trump is the most likely candidate to be their nominee (though a contested convention is also possible). 
 
 Taking this a step further, Ryan has said he'll support whoever the nominee is, but he has also denounced Trump's actions twice in this campaign. It's safe to say Ryan is not a fan of the idea of Trump leading the GOP ticket in November, if it comes to that. Even leaving open the idea of someone wresting the nomination from Trump at a convention is notable. 
 
 House Speaker Paul Ryan condemned efforts "from the left" to disrupt political rallies, but said all presidential candidates must help curb violence. He blamed budget-blocking attempts in the House on anxiety among voters leading up to the elections. (Reuters) 
 
 [Paul Ryan is rapidly emerging as the GOP's anti-Trump] 
 
 You can also read what Ryan said another way: He's not ruling out accepting the nomination at a contested convention, because why rule anything out that hasn't happened yet? "Never say never" and all that. Ryan played it off with Harwood like he honestly hadn't thought about the idea yet, so how could he know how he'd react if it came to that? 
 
 "I don't see that happening," he said of the idea of a contested convention. "I'm not thinking about it. I'm happy where I am, so no." 
 
 His aides point to "so no" as Ryan shutting the door on the idea of accepting a nomination at a contested convention. 
 
 And Ryan's spokeswoman, AshLee Strong, had this to say about Boehner's endorsement: "The speaker is grateful for the support, but he is not interested. He will not accept a nomination and believes our nominee should be someone who ran this year." 
 
 But you could also argue it's not clear whether "so no" was referring to the idea Ryan hadn't thought about a contested convention, or that he wouldn't accept the nomination if it were offered to him. 
 
 In some ways, Ryan brought this speculation -- however annoying it might be for him -- on himself. If he really had absolutely zero intention of accepting the party's nomination at any point this election cycle, he could have simply said so. 
 
 And he still can. For now, though, what you read into Ryan's latest comments is up to you. ||||| House Speaker Paul Ryan tried to strike an optimistic tone. | John Shinkle Paul Ryan sounds alarm about disheartening state of politics 
 
 House Speaker Paul Ryan on Wednesday warned against getting “disheartened” about the current state of politics, saying that Americans can’t lose faith in their government. 
 
 In a sweeping speech, the Wisconsin Republican implicitly rebuked the heated rhetoric and chaos that has defined the Republican presidential primary so far and in which Donald Trump has played a large part. 
 
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 Ryan has on multiple occasions denounced some of Trump’s actions, including his proposal to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the U.S. and his failure to disavow the support of the Ku Klux Klan, but he’s been careful to not call out the Republican frontrunner by name. 
 
 “Looking around at what’s taking place in politics today, it is easy to get disheartened,” Ryan said on Wednesday. “How many of you find yourself just shaking your head at what you see from both sides? Now, a little skepticism is healthy.” 
 
 But Ryan cautioned that “when people distrust politics, they come to distrust institutions.” He also said that while leaders can acknowledge a loss of faith in government, they can’t accept it. “And we can’t enable it either,” he added. 
 
 Ryan, who had to be convinced to step up to the speaker role after John Boehner resigned last year, had hoped to play a pivotal role in steering the direction of the Republican Party. But Trump has interfered with those ambitions as the real estate mogul has tapped into a base of anger with not only GOP voters but also Democrats and independents. 
 
 With Trump’s large lead in the delegate race, he has forcefully called on the Republican Party to unify behind him. Central to his argument is his ability to draw Americans of all demographics and party affiliations to his message. 
 
 However, establishment Republicans are still fighting the idea that he’s the inevitable nominee, with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Wednesday morning announcing his support of Sen. Ted Cruz. 
 
 Ryan could play an important role if there is a rare last-minute fight for the nomination, given that he will serve as chairman of the Republican National Convention this summer. 
 
 On Wednesday, however, Ryan struck an optimistic tone. “So I have made it a mission of my Speakership to raise our gaze and aim for a brighter horizon,” he said. “Instead of talking about what politics is today, I want to talk about what politics can be. I want to talk about what our country can be.” 
 
 Authors:
– Paul Ryan, a man who is not running for president and swears that he doesn't want the job, continues to get about as much press about it as the official remaining candidates. In his Politico Playbook on Monday, Mike Allen talks to a Republican in the know who "sees a 60% chance of a convention deadlock, and a 90% chance that delegates turn to Ryan—ergo, a 54% chance that Ryan, who'll start the third week of July as chairman of the Republican National Convention, will end it as the nominee." Ryan, meanwhile, tells the Times of Israel while on a visit to Jerusalem that he's not interested. "No, I've already said that that's not me," he tells the newspaper. Of course, as Allen and Steve Benen at MSNBC point out, Ryan said much the same thing about becoming House speaker before accepting the job as John Boehner's successor. Saying he doesn't want the job gives him "maximum leverage" and sets up a scenario in which he's "begged to do it," writes Allen. Benen thinks those in the GOP hoping for just this scenario should be careful: "The Republican Party would find itself in late July with a presidential nominee who has no campaign infrastructure, no platform, no stump speech, no staff, and no money."