Stand by for the next civil war among Republicans.  For reasons known only to himself, after announcing his plan to retire from the House and the speakership – but to continue holding on to the speaker's gavel until January 2019 (thus depriving his party of the opportunity to choose a new leader before the November election) – Paul Ryan on Sunday recommended Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California to be his successor. House Speaker Paul Ryan endorsed Kevin McCarthy, saying he's the "right person" to lead the GOP. Rep. Steve Scalise, the No. 3 in the GOP team, agrees and won't challenge McCarthy for the gavel, Ryan said. "We all think that Kevin is the right person," Ryan told NBC's "Meet the Press" in an interview that airs Sunday. McCarthy and Ryan.  Adapted from caricatures by Donkey Hotey via Flickr. If Ryan's hope was to stage-manage a smooth transition of leadership, the plan was...(Read Full Post)