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Paul Ryan's farewell speech on Wednesday was painful to watch. I'm old enough to remember when the retiring House speaker was the future of the Republican Party.

Remember that moment in 2012 when he was introduced as Mitt Romney's running mate - the energetic, smart young guy in the suit coat that seemed a bit too big for him?

For years he had been an intellectual leader among conservatives and the conscience of the GOP on fiscal issues. With dogged wonkery, he pushed Republicans into addressing thorny issues such as entitlements, deficits and what he warned was an impending debt crisis. He was not only an attractive candidate but also one of the most serious and substantive members of Congress. Ryan was, in other words, the complete package.

And that's exactly what I thought when I first met him more than 20 years ago back in Wisconsin, before he ran for Congress. He looked like he was 17 years old, but after talking with him for five minutes, I thought: This guy has the political savvy and the personality to go a very long way. Obviously, I had no idea how far that would be.

Or how badly it would end.