[seeker41]

-snip--> GOP lawmakers and aides, who spent hours in meetings with Boehner Tuesday, were shocked to see him upbeat as his House Republican Conference crumbled around him.

That says all I NEED TO KNOW!

[Paine in the Neck]

...him upbeat as his House Republican Conference crumbled around him.

I think Boehner has reached the acceptance stage. He knows there's no painless way out for him so he has resigned himself to the fact that this is his last term. The relief that the pain will soon be over is what brings the smile.