Late last week, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, resigned effective the end of October, 2015. His resignation shocked America. It is rare to see a politician resign while at the height of his or her power, with a year left in office, but resign he did.

One got the feeling watching the Speaker, while sitting and listening to the Pope’s speech to a Joint Session of Congress, that he was very visibly moved by what the Vicar Of Christ was saying. Speaker Boehner has been known to shed a tear or two, but this was more than that. It was as if what was being said by Pope Francis was hitting home to John Boehner’s moral core.

The pain was etched on his face, and the very next day the person who is 3rd in line to be President of the United States stated in a very jovial manner, I quit. You could tell he was happy, because he came in singing, Zippidy-Do-Dah, my oh my what a wonderful day. He had had enough of dealing with members of his own caucus, his fellow Republicans. It was not the problems that he faced regarding the opposition party nor the President that he was tired of trying to reason with, it was the Tea Party members that he will clearly not miss when he leaves Washington, D.C.

His resignation brought a rousing cheer of happiness from a Conservative group who was having a meeting at the time of his statement to the Press. These so-called Conservatives will not miss him either.

It is clear that Speaker Boehner is a man who respects the Institution of the House of Representatives and feels the weight of responsibility of having been the Speaker. A Speaker has the historical burden of maintaining the integrity and respect of the people for the People’s House. It is not clear that any of the members of the crowd of Republicans happy with his resignation recognize the importance of respecting the Institution that they are members and are part of.