One good thing about the Netanyahu speech to Congress this morning is that it will apparently provide the kind of massively noisy distraction necessary for John Boehner to sneak through a vote on a “clean” DHS funding bill–you know, the controversy that gripped Washington like a vise a couple of days ago.
Presumably Boehner only needs 30 Republicans to vote with Democrats on this measure. But it will add to the uncomfortably long list of major votes on which he has had to abandon the “Hastert Rule” and rely on Democrats for a majority. By doing so, of course, he will be able to give virtually any Republican with a potential primary problem a “pass” to vote against the leadership, with or without histrionics. And the partisan atmosphere surrounding Netanyahu’s speech will help mute the GOP “surrender.”
