Why would anyone talk to the Associated Press about Paul Ryan’s possible plans if he loses the election, unless they’re afraid Paul Ryan is going to lose the election.

You don’t see any articles about what college Barack Obama is going to teach at, but you do see a big AP story about Paul Ryan’s options when – sorry, SHOULD – he lose next Tuesday. The story is titled, “VP RYAN? PROF. RYAN? GOP NOMINEE’S FUTURE UNCLEAR”:

Ryan’s biggest boosters realize he probably can write his own ticket, win or lose on Nov. 6. These Ryan allies spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private proposals they were preparing for him. They insist Ryan is not worried about anything beyond the election and is not planning anything except being a governing partner to Romney. They say that if he fails, Ryan’s instincts will be to return to the House — he is running for re-election to his House seat at the same time he’s Romney’s running mate — and resume his role as Budget Committee chairman.

Now, the story makes clear that no one on Team Ryan is suggesting that he won’t win.

Uh huh.

But then, all of Ryan’s confidants are talking to the AP about all of Ryan’s options post-loss, which is something you wouldn’t do if you thought he had a chance at winning. It’s not just a matter of jinxing things, you would not want to assist any article, five days before the election, that suggest he might lose. You only do that if you think he’s going to lose.

Rachel Maddow is convinced that someone working for Ryan talked to AP for this story:

Well, the good news is that Paul Ryan could always work pretending to clean already-cleaned dishes in a soup kitchen (assuming his supporters haven’t put it out of business yet). Or pretending to be spending his days helping Hurricane Sandy victims by getting them things they don’t even need.

That’s the neat thing about working on a campaign that values fiction as religion. If the job you’re looking for is a lie, your possibilities are endless.