Story highlights Hugh Hewitt: Paul Ryan is a gifted communicator House majority desperately needs

Hewitt: We'll know this week whether a tiny minority of Republicans are so self-destructive they'll wreck Ryan's bid

Hugh Hewitt is a lawyer, law professor, author and host of a nationally syndicated radio show. He served in the Reagan administration in posts, including assistant counsel in the White House and special assistant to two attorneys general. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.

(CNN) "All we are saying is give peace a chance."

John Lennon's famous anti-war refrain from the song "Give Peace a Chance" reached No. 14 on the Billboard charts in 1969 but never had the broad appeal to make it into the Top 10, much less No 1.

Hugh Hewitt

Richard Nixon's "silent majority" was, after all against retreat and defeat in Vietnam no matter how noisy or eccentrically appealing to various media elites. It could not be expected to provide the sales necessary to turn an anti-majoritarian symbol into the top-selling record of its day.

Now a very different sort of rock star -- a political rock star and a Republican to boot, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin -- is pitching Lennon's message to the opposite of his core constituency and hoping for the success that eluded the British legend.

Ryan has declared he is willing to be No. 1, but only if the entire GOP House caucus is willing to help keep him there for an extended, perhaps record-setting run. Ryan is running for speaker on a promise of peace within the GOP caucus and purpose in its agenda over the next many years, but he is demanding he be given a chance to deliver on that long-term goal by a medium-term commitment at least of loyalty to the party caucus. Pray that he succeeds.

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