“Wait, wait, uh, excuse me, there’s actually one other point that I want to make,” President Obama said at his news conference Friday morning. His tone was serious, brows furrowed as he proceeded to make the important announcement that it is, in fact, House Speaker John Boehner’s birthday on Saturday.
The president proceeded with a hint of mischief, saying, “We’re not going to embarrass him with a cake because we didn’t know how many candles were needed,” to which a slightly embarrassed Speaker Boehner, who’s actually turning 63, responded by gently but playfully nudging the president in the shoulder saying, “Yeah, right.”
Who would have thought that these two men, at the center of the most important financial negotiations in the country, would be able to share a laugh given their somewhat rocky history. This refreshingly light moment amidst tense negotiations on the fiscal curb not only makes one’s heart feel warm and fuzzy, it also gives one hope it may all just work out. Though it’s hard to know for sure whether the goodwill is real or just political, the mere fact that they are making efforts to be amicable paves the way for smoother discussions and potential compromises.
Obama even went as far as bestowing Speaker Boehner with a bottle of wine, specifically a 1997 reserve bottling of Brunello di Montalcino from Poggio Antico, which sells for $125 at Schneiders Liquors on Capitol Hill.
Here’s to hoping the cooperation continues and they share the wine while singing the Boehner Birthday Song together.
Minnia Feng