John Boehner shows his witty side in Q&A; session

If that Congress thing doesn’t quite work out, House Speaker John A. Boehner might consider a gig doing stand-up comedy.

Boehner has long had a reputation as the person with a personality, the guy from Ohio with whom you would actually enjoy playing a round of golf or spending some time at a rubber chicken dinner. On Thursday, he got a chance to display his full wit.

After his serious speech to the Economic Club in Washington, where he outlined his program of tax reform, cutting government regulation and no new taxes to pay for a jobs program, Boehner eased back in his chair to take some questions about life as the top Republican legislator. It was like watching Henny Youngman tune up his violin.

Boehner was asked what it was like growing up in a large family with 11 brothers and sisters.

“Chaos,” he said and paused, “The same thing I deal with every day.”

Part of his job is to be persuader in chief, a skill at which some Democrats argue he has been less than stellar, given the balancing act needed to get his fractious caucus to pull in the same direction.

“You have to learn to deal with every jackass who walks in the door,” Boehner explained. “Trust me, I need all the skills I learned growing up to do my job.”

On presidential politics, Boehner noted the large field of GOP hopefuls.

“There are a lot of great candidates and I love all of the them.” (Pause, pause, pause. Timing is, after all, everything in comedy as well as politics). “Well, some I might love more than others.”

But most of Boehner’s lines also included the kind of snappy insight that comes from a career that included local Ohio, state and national politics. He took his House seat in 1991 and worked his way through leadership positions, including minority and majority leader before becoming the 61st speaker of the House. He is next in line to become president, after the vice president who is a heartbeat away from the top spot.

Boehner took note of the value of vice presidents and their usual roles as a ceremonial stand-in for the president. Asked if he would consider being vice president if offered the post, he demurred.

“It’s hard enough for me to go to funerals of people I know,” Boehner said. “much less, people I don’t know.”

In all, Boehner made it clear that his political ambitions are limited. “I’d like to accomplish my mission and get the hell out of here.”

Democrats, seeking to regain control of the House in 2012, would probably agree.