NYT:
Allies of Mr. Boehner say they believe the Democrat attacks will fall flat. They said that Mr. Boehner’s talk of a potential opening on retaining middle-class tax cuts was shared ahead of time with his leadership colleagues and that Mr. Boehner had not split with them.
They also say that Mr. Boehner, in past leadership races, has undergone thorough scrutiny and that they expect nothing new to materialize beyond a rehash of past activities.
If true, this is pretty firm evidence that Boehner's comments were a ruse designed to take the heat off the GOP, and that stories about GOP infighting are way overblown.
Fortunately, there's an easy way for Democrats to force Republicans to go on record: make them vote, and make them vote now.