From National Review Online via Drudge: "I think he [Speaker John Boehner] has strengthened his position in leadership," Representative John Fleming says about Boehner. "He hung in there with us. He's been reluctant to go to these fights and now that we have stood up and fought for our values and he's been there with us, leading, I think his stock has risen tremendously. He has great security as our leader and our speaker." Julius Caesar was saluted, too... just before the long knives came out. Concerning the recent (lost) battle over ObamaCare, the budget, and the national debt, Speaker Boehner got out in front of his caucus lest he be putsch-ed aside by die-hard conservatives.  The speaker's leadership, such as it was, had less to do with conviction than survival.  Without the pressure exerted by House conservatives (and, principally, Senators Ted Cruz and Mike Lee), it's very likely that Boehner, McConnell, and congressional Republicans would have folded...(Read Full Post)