Boehner leaves House ‘humbled’ as Ryan takes reins

House Speaker John Boehner has bade farewell to his colleagues in the US Congress as lawmakers are commencing the political pageantry of electing Paul Ryan to replace him.

“I leave with no regrets, no burdens,” says Boehner, who was hounded into retirement by hard-line conservatives who are mostly rallying behind Ryan, at least for now. “If anything, I leave the way I started, just a regular guy, humbled by the chance to do a big job.”

His 10-minute valedictory was not without his trademark tears: He earned a bipartisan standing ovation even before he started talking when he pulled out a box of tissues.

Boehner ticks off accomplishments during his five years of speaker that included deep spending cuts, and then lauded his successor.

“Paul is being called,” says Boehner. “I know he’ll serve with grace and with energy.”

Minutes earlier, Ryan’s longtime pastor sought divine guidance as the Wisconsin Republican prepared to step into one of Washington’s most taxing jobs.

“Give us the fortitude to endure when the demands of our office seem overwhelming,” beseeched Monsignor Donn Heiar of Ryan’s hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin, in an opening prayer. “Bless us with prudence when all pathways seem troublesome.”

— AP