Amid revolt, Boehner steps aside to avoid 'irreparable harm' to Congress

WASHINGTON — It took a visit from the pope, a brewing conservative rebellion, and a good night’s sleep for John Boehner — the son of a bartender and a devout Catholic from Cincinnati —
to decide that Friday morning was the right moment for him to end his tumultuous five-year speakership and bring his 25-year career in Congress to a close.“This morning, I woke up and I said my prayers and I decided today’s the day I’m going to this,” Boehner told reporters in an emotional news conference on Friday afternoon, a few hours after he stunned Washington by announcing that he planned to resign, effective Oct. 30. “It’s as simple as that.”But of course, it was not that simple.
Boehner disclosed his decision less than 24 hours after he reveled in the first-ever papal speech to a joint session of Congress, something he has dreamed of for 20 years — and as the government was on the verge of another shutdown, with Boehner's fractious caucus battling over a bill to fund the government beyond Sept. 30. Conservatives were threatening to oust Boehner from the speaker’s post if he did not take a hard line in using that spending bill to strip funding from Planned Parenthood, a reproductive health care provider that has come under scrutiny for its handling of fetal tissue.“It had become clear to me that this prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable harm to the institution,” Boehner told reporters Friday. “I don’t want my members to have to go through this. And I certainly don’t want the institution to have to go through this.”
Besides, Boehner said, “I was thinking about walking out the door anyway.”
When he was first elected speaker in 2011, Boehner said, he had only planned to serve two terms in that leadership role. But then last spring, his deputy and successor-in-waiting, Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, lost his primary race in a huge upset. Fearing the GOP leadership was not seasoned enough, Boehner quietly determined he would stay on for another year, and he planned to announce his resignation on Nov. 17 — his 66th birthday.
On Wednesday evening, after an exhilarating and emotional day spent at the side of Pope Francis, Boehner started thinking about moving up that date. He said the pope’s visit was not the inspiration for his decision.Usatoday