What took him so long, you might be wondering? If ever there were a time for tears, after all, it might be now, when his inability to corral Republican congressmen and strike a workable compromise with Democrats has put the very financial future of our country at risk. But that’s not actually what made Boehner “tear up,” according to his spokesman. No, apparently the speaker, in a closed-door session for GOP freshmen congressman and leadership, let loose — along with an unspecified number of others — in a crying jag after Representative Martha Roby of Alabama “finished reading an e-mail of support from her one-time Tea Party opponent, recognizing the tough choices that the new Republicans faced in the vote to raise the debt ceiling.”
Boehner might love a good sentimental story, sure, but that sounds rather like those were tears just waiting for a release. On the bright side for the speaker, though, this provides him with a rebuttal to those who might say this whole debt-ceiling debacle hasn’t reflected well on his leadership: Would there have been organized group crying sessions under the aegis of any other speaker?
Boehner’s Teary Moment [Caucus/NYT]
