After his speech, a foot away from me, Boehner wiped a stray tear with a handkerchief, then paused. As his staff patted his back, he straightened his jacket and quietly said, “Let’s go upstairs,” where his team was huddled. No cheers, no glad-handing. The whole scene, and the small entourage, was strikingly somber. A minute later, Boehner began to stroll off, in big strides, through the hotel’s cavernous basement, toward an elevator. The work begins.