In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. “Whenever you feel like running for Speaker,” he told me, “just remember that all the representatives in this party will end your candidacy within hours of its start.”

With the coming of Kevin McCarthy began the part of my life you could call my life in the speakership. Before that I'd often dreamed of going to rule the country, always vaguely planning and never taking off.