Palin Favorite Paul Ryan Rules Out 2012 Run for President

ABC News' Teddy Davis reports: Rep. Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican who has recently been under attack by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and lavished with praise by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), is ruling out a 2012 run for president. "I'll give you as Shermanesque a quote as I can," said Ryan.  "I am not going to run for president. I'm just not going to do it. My head's not that big, and my kids are too small.” Watch the full interview HERE.

Ryan, who made his comments on Sunday to “Upfront with Mike Gousha,” has been the subject of increased national attention over the past two week. The increased coverage of Ryan, the top Republican on the House Budget Committee, stems from his authorship of "Roadmap for America's Future 2.0." Ryan’s proposal would cut the tax rate on corporations, shift future Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries to private insurance plans, raise the retirement age gradually to 70, and reduce the growth of benefits to make Social Security solvent. In a speech last week to the Democratic National Committee, Pelosi used Ryan's blueprint to argue that it offers a glimpse into what Republicans would do if they were returned to power in Congress. “Anybody who wants to see the difference between Democrats and Republicans need only look at their budgets,” Pelosi told the D.N.C. on Friday. “The Republican budget provides tax breaks for the wealthy, it ends Medicare as we know it, and privatizes Social Security. Here they go again. Rehashing the same failed Bush policies.” During his “Upfront” interview, Ryan decried an atmosphere in Washington which discourages far-reaching proposals. “I think it's kind of strange that one guy from Wisconsin can put a plan out there to literally pay off our national debt, protect our seniors and their Medicare and Social Security benefits and make sure the next generation has a debt-free nation, but nobody else is going to put a plan out like that?” Ryan said. “And then when they use baseless attacks to attack it, that makes it tougher to come together, that makes it tougher to reach consensus across the aisle.”

Over the weekend, Ryan was singled out for praise by Palin during her interview with “Fox News Sunday.” Asked to handicap the potential Republican presidential field, Palin refrained from commenting on former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, three Republicans actively weighing a White House run in 2012. Palin said, however, that she was “very impressed” with Ryan before later adding that it would be “absurd” not to consider running for president herself. “[W]e have some strong — some young Turks in this party,” said Palin. “Paul Ryan — I’m very impressed with Paul Ryan. . . . He’s good. Man, he is sharp. He is smart, articulate. And he is passionate about these commonsense solutions that America has got to adopt to get us on the right road.” Read about Ryan’s “Roadmap” by clicking HERE. Read the Congressional Budget Office’s analysis of Ryan’s “Roadmap” by clicking HERE. ABC News’ Julie Percha contributed to this report.