Threat or a promise?
Heh. Depends on your point of view, I suppose.
I think what Obama is doing is manuevering Boehner into an impossible position, a situation where Boehner will feel he simply has no choice but to suspend the ‘Hastert Rule’ and do the clean votes.
Probably be the last thing he does as Speaker of the House, and I’m sure he knows that as well. And he’s probably to hold off doing it until the last possible moment.