Democrats mock globetrotting Boehner, Cantor

With House Speaker John A. Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor on separate overseas trips, Democrats are taking shots in their absence.

A Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee site -- whereintheoworldisjohnboehner.com -- pounces on the GOP leaders for their globetrotting during congressional recess, when Democrats say they ought be at work on a tax cut plan. Of course, globetrotting during congressional recess is a time-honored, bipartisan tradition, so the dig does lose some of its punch.

The House is scheduled to return next week and is expected to pick up where it left off –- fighting over how to pay for a yearlong extension of the payroll tax break.

For now, Boehner is traveling in Latin America. The speaker met with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Wednesday. Stops in Brazil and Mexico were also on the itinerary. Cantor traveled to the Middle East, with a planned stop in France on his return. The trips were technically bipartisan, as each included one Democrat.

That didn’t stop the DCCC from putting together its website, which includes a photo of Boehner on the golf course and a picture of Cantor in front of the Eiffel Tower, complete with Photoshopped beret.

“Frankly, the House Democrats are a little disconnected from reality on this issue. The House has passed a yearlong payroll/unemployment insurance bill with jobs provisions and spending cuts that have bipartisan support,” said Boehner spokesman Michael Steel. “We expect we can come to agreement with the Senate to finish our work, and bipartisan, bicameral discussions are already underway.”

This post has been updated. An earlier version said that Cantor traveled to the Middle East by way of France. He did not stop in France on his way; he will be stopping in France on his return.