Paul Ryan: I'm Not Running For 2012 Either

It wasn't that long ago that the Republican field was looking quite crowded but now its getting smaller with many potential 2012 candidates choosing not to run. After much speculation and many people attempting to recruit Paul Ryan to run, he's announced he's not going to run in 2012:

In an appearance Sunday’s “Meet the Press” on NBC, Wisconsin Republican Rep. Paul Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, said he was disappointed in the news.

“Meet the Press” moderator David Gregory asked Ryan if the news about Daniels opened the door for his own presidential aspirations? Ryan said no.

“Well look – I’ve been very clear about this, about running for president,” Ryan said. “I feel because we are in a big budget debate – I’m in a great position as House Budget chairman to weigh in on this debate and I feel like the moment we are in, I want to stay focused on where we are right now and that is getting our fiscal house in order.”

Gregory asked if Ryan would be open to getting in on the ticket as a running mate and the Wisconsin congressman declined to address that possibility.

“I’m not going to get into all those hypotheticals,” Ryan said. “I’m not running for president. I’m not planning on running for president.  If you’re running for president, you got to do a lot of things to line up a candidacy. I’ve not done any of those things. It’s not my plan. My plan is to be a good chairman of the House Budget Committee and fight for the fiscal sanity of this nation.”

Gregory interpreted Ryan’s response as perhaps being a little bit of a door opening, but Ryan disagreed.

“It’s not a door opening,” Ryan said. “I do know how this works. I’m not going to get into all these hypotheticals in the future. My point is I’m not running for president. You never know what opportunities present themselves way down the road. I’m not talking about right now and I want to focus on the fiscal problems of this country. And I really believe David, where I am as chairman of the House Budget Committee puts me in a great position to be a great contributor to this debate.”

Watch the video of Paul Ryan's interview with David Gregory below: 

Paul Ryan has given a pretty firm Sherman statement that he's not running. I'm not surprised by his refusal not to jump into the race. I didn't think he would run at all. I just couldn't see it happening.

He's making a smart move here in not running. Right now, he's in the best position to move the conservative position forward on THE crucial issue of our time: the national debt.

He would be insane to abandon all his hard work he's put into the his "roadmap plan" to reduce the national debt. Ryan is a smart and intelligent politician who is making the right choice here. He's sincere in his desire reduce the national debt. He's doing something that more politicians ought to be doing and that is getting our financial house in order. Instead, we have too many politicians looking for ways to pump up their image and inflate their egos.

In an era where real American heroes are hard to find, Paul Ryan is kind of politician the American people need.