Paul Ryan: I'll Be Speaker, but I've Got Demands

One political will-he-or-won't-he is settled: Paul Ryan says he's willing to run as House speaker. However, there's a catch, reports Politico. Ryan told House Republicans Tuesday that he'll serve only if he has near-unanimous support. It remains unclear whether the hard-line conservatives who forced John Boehner to resign will agree, reports the New York Times. Ryan says he'll give the House Republican Conference until Friday to decide. He also wants to change the duties of the job to focus more on spreading the party's message and less on fundraising, reports the Times.

"If the members agree with his requests and share his vision, and if he is a unity candidate—with the endorsement of all the conference's major caucuses—then he will serve as speaker," says his spokesman. "He will be all in." With the Ryan decision mostly settled, the next big decision is up to Joe Biden, who was sounding a bit like a candidate today. (More Paul Ryan stories.)