Boehner Resigns!

In an announcement Friday, Speaker John Boehner announced his resignation from Congress to be effective at the end of October.

Boehner has been under intense pressure from the conservative caucus in the house for failing to de-fund planned parenthood, among other give-aways to the left.

Many expected Boehner to have a bitter fight to hold on to his speakership, but a complete resignation from Congress was never forecast.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told Fox News this morning that he thought something like this might happen if a segment of the speaker’s party demanded things “that just aren’t possible.” And that “getting someone new would magically make those things happen.”

In his resignation press conference, the Speaker said that he felt this was the right move “to protect the institution.”

Boehner told reporters that he felt the upcoming fight to keep his position would result in “prolonged leadership turmoil” and “would do irreparable damage to the institution.”

President Obama was as surprised as most at the news. “John Boehner is a good man. He is a patriot. He cares deeply about the House, an institution in which he has served for a long time. He cares about his constituents and he cares about America,” Obama told reporters at a joint press conference with China’s president Friday afternoon.

Conservative congressman Marco Rubio announced to a crowd of supporters that Boehner was resigning. As the crowd erupted in cheers, Rubio continued by saying, “It’s not about him or anybody else, and I’m not here to bash anyone, but the time has come to turn the page—the time has come to turn the page and allow a new generation of leadership in this country”

When asked what he would do next, the speaker said he had not yet thought about it.