John Boehner Gave a Very Smart Speech

Ezra Klein: It's early, but his instincts have been great so far
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 5, 2011 6:18 PM CST
John Boehner Gave a Very Smart Speech
John Boehner greets House members during the first session of the 112th Congress.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Incoming House speakers have a long tradition of overreaching in their opening speeches, writes Ezra Klein at the Washington Post. John Boehner took the opposite approach today with his themes of "humility and comity," and that's why Klein loved it. Boehner didn't gloat on behalf of himself or his party, and he didn't set himself up as the savior of conservatives or the "foil" to the White House. He even pledged to try to heal the "scar tissue" between the parties with more openness.

"It was, I think, as smart a speech as I've seen a politician give—in part because it was savvy about what it didn't say, which is a rare virtue in Washington," writes Klein. Time will tell whether he can follow through, "but thus far, Boehner's political instincts have been quite impressive. The White House may have a more able opponent in him than they thought." Click here to read the full text of Boehner's speech.
(More John Boehner stories.)

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