The job of Speaker of the House of Representatives is, on the face of it, a pretty good wicket. It is third in line to the presidency and comes with a quarter-million-dollar salary, fat pension and endless other perks. The outgoing Speaker, John Boehner, a chain-smoking Republican from Ohio, will be entitled to a million dollars a year, for five years, to "facilitate the administration, settlement and conclusion of matters pertaining to" his five-year tenure. So it may seem odd that his party, despite having its biggest majority in the House for almost a century, is struggling to find someone to replace him.
展开▼
