How an eight-term congressman with extensive ties to K Street became the new face of the House Republican Party.
"Like any good politician, John Boehner knew how to read his audience. Early last week the Republican Study Committee, an influential group of congressional conservatives, got together for a private audition. They wanted answers from each of the three men who had been jockeying to replace scandal-plagued Tom DeLay as House majority leader: what would they do to appease disgusted voters who see Congress as a nest of sleazy deals and under-the-table cash"?So the Republican Study Committee decided that John Boehner wasn't quite as sleazy as Roy Blunt and John Shadegg was too green and didn't know enough lobbyists so they went with Boehner, who is well known for his close ties to lobbyists.
