Pearls of Wisdom or the Perils of Perdiction

Charlie Cook writes that

House Minority Leader John Boehner was smart to dodge the tax cut fight by saying that while he preferred to extend all of the tax cuts, he would not vote against one for the 98 percent making less than $250,000 just because it didn't have one for the highest 2 percent. The last thing the GOP needs to be doing is giving Democrats ammunition for their "Republicans only care about the rich" attacks.

He is a very serious person writing for other very serious people, who stroke their chins and wonder what is to be done about Hmer Simpson.  The article came on September 14th. On September 15th Boehner said

TPM REPORTER QUESTION: But if it's your only option, as you said Sunday, would you vote for...

BOEHNER: I want to extend all of the current tax rates. I want the speaker to allow a fair and open debate on our two-point plan, because if we extend the current tax rates and we're able to cut spending, we'll reduce some of the uncertainty coming out of Washington, D.C., and employers will then have the ability to continue to create jobs in America.

And the other Republicans all chimed in about their unity in the face of the possibility of the rich paying a slightly hirer tax, which -- presumably -- means that they would vote against the extension of just the middle-class tax cuts.  This, in turn means, that Cook made the elemental mistake of thinking that the Republicans aren't dumb.  They are.