Boehner steps back to lead WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 14: U.S. Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) speaks during a news conference November 14, 2012 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The House Republicans have picked their choices of leadership for the 113th Congress. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) A master in the art of human nature understands there is a time to lead, and then there??s a time to let the other guy take the risk of leading. Very few people in this city grasp the potent negotiating power that comes from such a realization. In politics, the minute you win is also the moment you start losing, because you immediately start bleeding political capital ?? and the minute you lose is the beginning of climbing out from the bottom of the barrel. John Boehner didn??t awake one morning to find himself speaker of the House; he got there through a series of tough setbacks that took him from leadership at a young age to being just one of 435 congressmen and back again, with plenty of declarations that his career had fizzled. His fellow Republicans understand that, too ?? which is why, when House Majority Leader Eric Cantor nominated him last week to retain his speakership, Boehner was greeted with a warm standing ovation. He will be formally re-elected speaker by a vote in the House when the 113th Congress convenes in January. Many reporters, hung-over conservatives and the ??Twitterverse?_ have questioned why Boehner called on