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WaPo: Boehner Golfing While House Republicans Stage Floor Revolt

House Republicans have gotten a lot of mileage out mileage out of bashing Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for being out on a book tour while they are on the floor - during the August recess, no less -protesting Pelosi's refusal to allow a vote on offshore drilling.

But House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), who hasn't been seen in Washington these last few days. Thanks to my friend and colleague over at the Washinton Post, Ben Pershing, we now know why - Boehner is busy out on the golf course.

According to Capitol Briefing, Pershing's blog, Boehner " has found time to squeeze in a couple rounds of golf. Scores reported by Boehner himself to a United States Golf Association site show that he posted an 85 sometime this week at his home course, Wetherington Golf & Country Club in West Chester, Ohio."

Boehner was also "spotted yesterday at the lovely Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio." That course was designed by golfing legend Jack Nicklaus.

Michael Steel, Boehner's spokesman, told Capitol Briefing that Boehner was at Muirfield Village for his annual fundraiser on behalf of the Freedom Project, Boehner's leadership PAC. According to Steel, cancelling the event "would have cost tens of thousands of dollars for Republican candidates across the country."

But Democrats are already crowing over this one, and it will be hard for Boehner and the Republicans to rebut the charge of hypocrisy on this one. If gas prices and offshore drilling are such a crisis for the country, why is the House Minority Leader out golfing? It will be interesting to watch the GOP response to this on Thursday.

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