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...Come on folks! Just who do you want in charge? He has done a decent job so far against 2/3rds of the government. What do you expect under the circumstances?...

That may be true, but you *do* know that the House controls %100 of the spending bills, right? Check your old high-school govt textbook and look up the House's role in fiscal matters. At the very least, without the house's agreement, it does not pass.

Boehner caved, just like he always does. The GOP caved, just like they always do. Boehner just PROVED to the Dems that he won't go all in and will fold. The DEMS now know just what Boehner's pressure-points are to make him fold.

We now know what to expect when it comes time for the Debt-Ceiling and 2012-Budget fights. There won't be much a fight. Boehner will surrender the battle as soon as the dems land the first, glancing blow. Better set your expectations low so you won't be disappointed.

For instance, one of the Dems primary positions in the recent CR battle (if you can call it a battle) was funding for abortions over funding for troops and they didn't budge. Boehner and the GOP didn't even try to attack that position. Totally clueless. They just let it slide. Did you hear *ANY* GOP leader passionately attack that position? I sure didn't. They won't fight, even when presented with such an easily attacked position. Case closed.

Nothing will change as long as the GOP (as a political organization) influences who is in leadership positions; who chairs committees; how primaries are conducted; etc.

Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. The GOP has plenty of established history of "ultimately surrendering" that we can learn from (but we won't). The GOP needs to go the way of the Whigs (but it won't). We need a replacement party (not a third-party); but conventional wisdom precludes that ever happening.

I don't have the answer, but the status-quo *clearly* ain't working. God help us.