Here's an idea that John Boehner could use to both avoid going over the fiscal cliff AND divorcing himself from any unpalatable legislation that he might not want to associate himself with: Open up the House of Representatives to vote on a generic bill that only requires $1 trillion in spending cuts and $1 trillion in new revenue offsets over the next ten years. Be no more specific than that. Then...let the House offer up amendments to that bill, enabling as many cuts and revenue-generators to pass until it adds up to the above figures.
Boehner can, under the above scenario, allow the House of Representatives to craft its own fiscal cliff solution. He doesn't have to support nor vote for any specific amendments he doesn't like. And he could probably save his....own butt since he would avoid pissing off the radical Tea Bagging nutjobs that are holding his caucus and this nation hostage.
It would be a radical departure from the way the House has operated in the past. However...it would give the House an opportunity to lead.
In fact, another option might be to have a series of companion bills, so that any bill that passes can be acted on piecemeal by the Senate. Bill number one: Spending cuts. Bill number two: Revenue offsets. Bill number three: Additional spending cuts to help get to $1 trillion. Bill number four: Additional revenue offsets. Bill number four, etc., etc., etc.
By acting on piecemeal pieces of legislation...the Senate could take up whichever individual bills it so chose...as long as it meets the first bill's requirement: $1 billion in spending cuts and $1 billion in revenue offsets.