Speaker Boehner: Obama 'Lost His Courage,' 'Checked Out' Last Labor Day

In an interview with CBS News’ Charlie Rose, House Speaker John Boehner says that President Obama has essentially abandoned his job:

Boehner: I sat for months with the president. He wanted revenue. I said, “Mr. President, I’ll put revenue on the table that we can achieve out of fixing our tax code. But the only way I’ll do it is if you’re willing — to have real, fundamental reform of our entitlement programs.” And the fact is we have an agreement. And then two days later, the president decided he wanted $400 billion of more revenue, which was, in effect, a $400 billion tax increase.

Rose: Yet, at the same time, the two of you came to an agreement, in your mind, that was acceptable.

Boehner: Until he lost his courage.

Rose: Lost his courage?

Boehner: He lost his courage.

Rose: He couldn’t face what?

Boehner: Why did he blow the deal up?

Rose: What did he tell you?

Boehner: That he needed more revenue, needed more revenue. He lost his courage.

Rose: Will anything happen between now and the election?

Boehner: I would hope so. But I’m, but I am not optimistic. The president checked out last Labor Day. All he’s done is campaign full time for the last six months. He’s not been engaged in the legislative process at all. There have been no efforts at trying to work with Democrats and Republicans to address this issue at all. And it’s, it’s shameful.

One can argue about the rhetoric, but we’re on day 1,086 without a budget for the federal government. President Obama has already held more campaign appearances events by April than any previous incumbent president held during their entire campaign years. Our national credit has been downgraded under Obama’s watch, twice. In the face of high unemployment and spiraling national debt, President Obama delivered a partisan and unpopular health care law and now he is proposing divisive gimmicks — the abortifacient mandate, the Buffett Rule, now this nonsense about oil market manipulation — rather than proposing any real reform. So it may be fair to say that Barack Obama was never really as interested in the job of the presidency as the job of campaigning for the presidency.