Former U.S. House Speaker John Boehner served a reminder Wednesday of bygone days when the two political parties could sometimes get along in his speech at the unveiling of a portrait of Nancy Pelosi, who is winding up her tenure as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Boehner, a Republican who served as House speaker from 2011-2015, saluted the Democrat Pelosi, and noted that their battles in congress could be heated but were always polite.
As is his custom, Boehner cried, awkwardly hugged Pelosi, and then cried a bit more. It would have been weird if he didn’t.
“Madam Speaker, you and I have disagreed politically on many things over the years, but we were never disagreeable to each other. As you might have heard to me say before, you can disagree without being disagreeable,” Boehner said. “You have been unfailingly gracious to me and to my family, and frankly my team here in Washington.”
“And Madam Speaker, I have to say my girls told me to tell the speaker how much we admire her. If you couldn’t tell, my girls are Democrats. You were so gracious to me in fact at times it got me in trouble with my own party members.”
Boehner joked about once “planting a kiss” on Pelosi as she tried to back away.
“I heard about it for years,” Boehner said.
He choked up again as he told the gathering that there is “no other speaker of the House in the modern era, Republican or Democrat, who has wielded the gavel with such authority or with such consistent results.”
He added: “Needless to say, you’re one tough cookie. You have been a fierce warrior for your party when the stakes were highest. You were willing to put the interests of the nation first, and take the heat for it. Now that’s leadership. Leaders lead. And you, Madam Speaker, have led. I’m honored to be here today as a longtime colleague and a fellow American to say thank you for that.”
As Boehner finished his remarks, Pelosi walked over to him, and gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek.
