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| Posted: 24 Jan 2014 08:01 AM PST House Speaker John Boehner (R) said he isn't endorsing former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, but he'd sure 'make a great president.' He also told 'Tonight Show' host Jay Leno why he went along with the government shutdown last fall. House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio meets with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 16, 2014. J. Scott Applewhite/AP Who's got the tougher job: President Obama or the speaker of the House, Republican John Boehner of Ohio? Skip to next paragraph Francine Kiefer Staff writer Francine Kiefer is the congressional correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor, which she joined in 1980. She has a long journalistic history in Washington, most recently as the Monitor's commentary editor and an editorial writer, and before that as White House correspondent – covering the administrations of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Recent posts' +
google_ads[0].line2 + ' Subscribe Today to the Monitor US House Speaker John Boehner talks about 2014 and 2016 on NBC's 'Tonight Show' Thursday night. It's clear from his interview with Jay Leno, aired Thursday on "The Tonight Show," that Speaker Boehner sees the White House as the worst of the two places to be. Asked if he'd ever run for president, Boehner immediately answered no. It'd just be too tough on his personal habits. "Listen, I like to play golf. I like to cut my own grass," he explained. Both activities contribute to his famous tan – also a topic of discussion. "You know, I do drink red wine. I smoke cigarettes. And I'm not giving that up to be the president of the United States." The studio audience applauded. But Boehner had a suggestion for who might occupy the Oval Office in 2016. How about Jeb Bush? Not that he's endorsing the former Republican governor of Florida. (Who would want to cross the Bush matriarch, Barbara, who has laid down the line: No more Bushes in the White House?) "I'm not endorsing anyone," Boehner told Mr. Leno, adding, "Jeb Bush is my friend and I frankly think he'd make a great president." Chris Christie and his problems with Bridge-gate? It doesn't appear that the New Jersey governor, a GOP presidential favorite up until now, knew anything about it, the speaker said. Then he added: "This is not going to go away anytime soon." As for the job of speaker, Boehner made it out to be no picnic, either. Leno asked him about Republican infighting – whether it's the worst he's ever seen on Capitol Hill. "Oh no, it's – well, maybe it is," he said. "Probably. Yeah, probably." As the audience laughed, Boehner added, "It's bad." But, he qualified, "the funny thing about the so-called infighting is that we agree on all the goals. We think Obamacare is bad for the country. We think we shouldn't spend more than we bring in. We think the president is ignoring the law." The fight is over tactics, he said. He acknowledged that, "yep," the Republicans were to blame for the partial government shutdown in October over the Affordable Care Act. He candidly laid out that this wasn't his idea. In the end, though, he felt he had to go along with it. "I told my colleagues in July I didn't think shutting down the government over Obamacare would work because the president said, 'I'm not going to negotiate,' " Boehner said. But other Republicans insisted on going ahead. "When I looked up, I saw my colleagues going this way. And you learn that a leader without followers is simply a man taking a walk.… So I said, 'You want to fight this fight? I'll go fight the fight with you.' " Yes, it's not easy being John Boehner. The speaker joked about how tough it is to be a public figure with a name no one knows how to pronounce. "It's hard running for office when people can't say your name. You know, my name looks like Beener, Bonner, Boner." For the record. It's BAY-ner. |
| Justin Bieber bails out of jail, mugs for Miami fans - MiamiHerald.com Posted: 24 Jan 2014 06:01 AM PST Where is Justin Bieber? After Thursday's scene, from noisy drag-racing in the early-morning hours to the crowds following his every move to and from jail, Bieber has disappeared. Mobs of young fans camped out in South Beach hoping to steal a glimpse. They didn't find him. He's reportedly at the Casa Victoria Orchid Hotel, where the crowd found its way. Photos posted on gossip websites showed Bieber apparently partying with his father, Jeremy, well into the wee hours of Friday. Friday's daytime scene so far: Silence. The fallen pop star left a Miami-Dade jail Thursday afternoon, following four days of carousing that led to the suspensions of three police officers and ended with his own wild, drug-fueled drag race in Miami Beach, authorities said. The world's richest teenager, waved to a flock of tearful fans from his SUV as he left the prison about 2:30 p.m. after being charged with DUI, resisting arrest and driving without a valid license. He posted a $2,500 bond. His release came about an hour after the 19-year-old's hearing in Miami-Dade circuit court, via video, appearing less cheerful than in his glassy-eyed-but-smiling police mugshot. Clad in an orange-red prison jumpsuit, his sleeves rolled up to reveal his tattooed arms, he was solemn, letting his high-profile lawyer, Roy Black, do the talking. The singer's demeanor was in sharp contrast to his 4 a.m. performance with Miami Beach police officers, when he allegedly swaggered through his arrest, reeking of alcohol and firing off a string of F-bombs. "Why the f--- did you stop me?'" he asked officer Fulgencio Medina, who finally cornered him near 41st Street as he was peeling down Pine Tree Drive at 55 to 60 mph in a yellow Lamborghini, according to the police report. The speed limit on that stretch, from 26th to 41st streets, is 30. After allegedly smoking pot all day, drinking beer, clubbing, popping anti-depressants and spending some time in a recording studio, the lead-footed singer and a buddy launched the predawn race in their rented wheels early Thursday. The other driver, Sacramento-based R&B artist Khalil Sharieff, 19, lined up next to him in a red Ferrari, both of them speeding off side-by-side, northbound on the east side of Pine Tree, a narrow stretch of roadway marked by tall pines with thick roots. Members of the musician's entourage had apparently used their cars near the starting line, at 26th Street, near the Miami Beach Hebrew Academy and Scott Rakow Youth Center, to block the strip for the young star — who had been on a party spree all week in South Florida. "It was a cold night, and it was quiet, so the officers could hear the cars," Chief Ray Martinez said, adding that patrols followed the sound of the revving engines. "When the cars are going that fast, it takes a while to catch up." The police report said that Bieber was flushed, in a stupor, smelled of alcohol and was incoherent. He failed a field sobriety test, miserably, they said. Bieber kept fumbling his hands in his pockets and, even after he was asked to place his hands on his car in front of him, kept turning around and confronting the officer, who attempted to pat him down for weapons. "I ain't got no f------ weapons. Why do you have to search me?" Bieber said, according to the report. Finally, after several warnings, Bieber was placed in handcuffs. "Why the f--- are you doing this?'" Bieber kept asking. News and social media showed Bieber in the company of his father, Jeremy Bieber, since arriving in South Florida on Monday, when the teen heartthrob first made headlines for using Opa-locka police officers to escort him from Opa-locka airport Monday, then flashed wads of cash at the King of Diamonds strip club in Miami later that evening. Three Opa-locka officers have been suspended with pay in connection with the incident, pending an investigation. The officers were not authorized to escort the singer in their marked patrol cars while on duty, according to Deputy City Manager David Chiverton. It's not clear whether the officers escorted the singer to King of Diamonds, the strip club, or to Club Mansion in South Beach, He was spotted in both places that evening. Though Bieber has been in trouble before, it is his first arrest. The Canadian native told Miami Beach officers he had been at a recording studio Wednesday evening. A source at SET, a Lincoln Road nightclub, reported Bieber arrived Wednesday night in a yellow Lamborghini with a group of young men and that he sat shirtless with a backward baseball cap in a VIP room next to the DJ booth. Bieber didn't say much and ordered Red Bulls and water. "He looked really pale," the source said. The group stayed until around 3 a.m., and Bieber left in the Lamborghini with a Miami model he "picked up randomly in the club," the source said. Some photos sent via social media by Sharieff included an unidentified woman sitting in the Lamborghini with Bieber. Roadside sobriety tests showed that Bieber was under the influence of drugs, Miami Beach Police Chief Raymond Martinez told the Herald. He declined to comment further, but a police source said Bieber admitted he had been smoking marijuana, taking prescription anti-depressants and had a beer or two. According to sources, Bieber's breath test did not show any substantive alcohol use. He blew .014 and .011, well below the legal limit. That amount is too low for authorities to suspend a license for an underage driver, although Bieber does not have a Florida license. A police officer certified as a "Drug Recognition Expert" also evaluated Bieber — and concluded he was driving under the influence of a controlled substance. Bieber also gave a urine sample, which could net preliminary results within a couple days. Martinez said it is against city ordinance for anyone under the age of 21 to be inside a nightclub — but Bieber was purportedly scheduled to perform at SET, which have allowed him inside the club. In cities that don't have similar ordinances, 18-year-olds can be admitted to a nightclub but can't be served alcohol. Instagram photos of Bieber and Sharieff were sent via social media earlier from MIA Skate Shop, a South Beach skateboard store, and the two tweeted photos and video from a local skate park. "Miami nights ridin thru yo city in that hot wheel," Sharieff, who performs under the aegis of Island Def Jam Records, tweeted on his account earlier Thursday morning. Miami Beach's mayor praised police handling of the arrest as professional. "Our city is committed to the safety of our residents and tourists," Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine said in a statement. "Everyone must respect the law and no preferential treatment will be afforded to anyone, regardless of their high-profile or celebrity status." Bieber was driving a 2013 Lamborghini Gallardo. Sharieff was behind the wheel of a 2009 Ferrari 16M. The cars, worth about $260,000 each, were rented from the Miami exotic car rental company Lou La Vie, confirmed John Temerian, Lou La Vie's owner. He said he generally rents the cars for $1,200 to $1,800 a day. Bieber's latest scrape is another black eye for the embattled Boyfriend singer, who has had a fondness for drag racing in residential neighborhoods. Neighbors in his exclusive, gated Calabasas, Calif., community have long complained about him speeding down their streets. Media reports have said sheriff's deputies were called to his mansion several times over the past year, and retired NFL player Keyshawn Johnson also attempted to counsel the singer, but Bieber refused to talk to him. Earlier this month, a neighbor in Los Angeles accused Bieber and his pals of hurling eggs at his home, causing extensive damage. Officers searched Bieber's home and one person was arrested on drug charges. He is under investigation for felony vandalism in that incident. Bieber had been due in a Santa Monica, Calif., attorney's office Thursday to give a deposition ordered by a Miami judge in a lawsuit filed by a paparazzo alleging that Bieber's bodyguards had roughed him up. Miami Herald staff writer Ina Paiva Cordle and correspondents Lesley Abravanel, Ricardo Mor and Jose Lambiet contributed to this report. |
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