The invisible heroism of Paul Ryan

Back in March, I wrote the following about House Speaker Paul D. Ryan:

“Of course a GOP legislative leader would be expected to work closely with a GOP president. The degree to which Ryan has prostrated himself to the cause of … what, exactly? A unified GOP caucus? A president who articulates positions on immigration, trade, foreign policy, that are at variance with Ryan? A president whose rhetoric debased the national discourse on a daily basis?

“Why, exactly, is Paul D. Ryan being so quiet? What does he hope to accomplish at this point? I don’t know. I would love to hear from someone who does.”

Lo and behold, we get to hear from someone who knows — Paul Ryan himself. The New York Times’ Marc Leibovich profiled Ryan for the magazine. Beyond providing grist for the #ToddlerinChief mill, this question was clearly on Leibovich’s agenda.