John Boehner, waiting for the punch
John Boehner looked as if he were a spectator at his own hanging — and in a sense he is.
He
can defy conservatives by abandoning their fight to undo President
Obama’s immigration actions and perhaps lose his speakership in the
process. Or he can stand with the conservatives and be blamed for shutting down the Department of Homeland Security.
Dana Milbank writes about political theater in the nation’s capital. He joined the Post as a political reporter in 2000.View Archive
So
the House speaker is leading from behind. Waiting for his turn to speak
at a news conference following a House GOP caucus meeting Wednesday
morning, he was a bundle of nerves: He stroked the hem of his jacket,
rubbed his fingertips together, licked his lips, pinched his nose and
allowed his famously moist eyes to well with tears just before
approaching the microphone.
CNN’s
Dana Bash asked Boehner whether he is concerned that, if he passes a
Homeland Security bill without the immigration provisions, “it will be
the end of your speakership.”
“I’m waiting for the Senate to act,” Boehner replied.
Bash persisted: But was he concerned about a rebellion in his own ranks?
“I’m waiting for the Senate to pass a bill.”
NBC’s
Luke Russert asked him why he hadn’t spoken with his Senate
counterpart, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), in two weeks.
Boehner reiterated his position that “we’re waiting for the Senate to act.”
Politico’s Jake Sherman asked what he thought about the merits ofMcConnell’s plan to split the immigration issue from the funding of DHS.
“I’m waiting for the Senate to pass a bill,” Boehner repeated.
Will Congress avoid a government shutdown?
“I’m waiting for the Senate to act.”
Boehner began to walk away. “Do you think the Senate should act?” Bash teased.
The speaker gave a brave smile.
Of course, everybody knows what the Senate is going to do: Democrats,after blocking passage of a bill that
made DHS funding contingent on undoing Obama’s immigration policy, have
agreed to support McConnell’s plan to decouple the two. The only
question is what Boehner will do — and conservatives are sharpening
their knives.
“I
am not going to vote to fund unconstitutional conduct,” Rep. Mo Brooks
(R-Ala.) said as he left the caucus meeting in the Capitol basement.
“Illegal aliens are undermining national security,” he added, accusing
McConnell of “a breach of oath of office and our fealty to the United
States Constitution.”
Rep.
Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.) was livid: “Voters believed that in November
Harry Reid was going to be dethroned and that the Senate was going to be
controlled by Republicans, so I’m sad to say that hasn’t happened.”
Rep.
Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a leader of a conservative House faction, said the
bill linking immigration to DHS funding remained the House Republican
position, and Rep. John Fleming (R-La.) declared that “we don’t plan to
do anything” to change it.
Furthermore,
Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) announced he had spoken with two TSA agents
about a shutdown, “and they both said: ‘Stay strong. We’ll be all
right.’ ”
This
left House higher-ups unnerved. “We’re going to move this,” Rep. Pete
Sessions (R-Tex.), part of the leadership, declared as he left the
meeting. Move what? “Uh, what, I think what John talked about. He’s
going to get together with people. . . . I think we’re going to work
through the problems. And, um, I’m really not prepared to say.”
Reporters
surrounded Sessions and camera lights went on. “This is not what I
wanted at this point,” Sessions muttered. “I’m just walking to my
office, guys,” he said. “John will cover that. Is that fair? It is to
me.”
But
“John” didn’t do that. He and his leadership team went to the
microphones to talk about — education. None of the six lawmakers at the
GOP news conference mentioned the Homeland Security standoff in their
opening statements.
“When
I had 4-H animals and I sold them, I saved that money so I could go to
school,” disclosed Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.).
Said
verbally challenged Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.): “I have
two small kids that are now one in college and one about to go to
college.”
Reporters,
however, did not care how small McCarthy’s college-age kids are. They
wanted to know what Boehner was going to do about immigration — and
Boehner was playing for time. “Until the Senate does something, we’re in
a wait-and-see mode,” he said for the umpteenth time — and he
acknowledged that during this waiting and seeing, he hadn’t spoken with
McConnell. “Listen, Senator McConnell’s got a big job to do. So do I.”
Yes, and he can’t avoid doing it much longer.
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