Boehner: Cruz is 'Lucifer in the flesh' - a 'miserable son of a b**ch'

Calling John Boehner "a guy who doesn't like Ted Cruz" undersells the situation like referring to the Grand Canyon as "a pothole." Boehner really, really, really, doesn't like Ted Cruz. And it's not a "professional disagreement" kind of dislike, either. It's your garden variety personal hatred. Last night, Boehner was asked what he thought of the current Republican presidential candidates, and he didn't hold back when it came to Cruz:

“Lucifer in the flesh,” the former speaker said. “I have Democrat friends and Republican friends. I get along with almost everyone, but I have never worked with a more miserable son of a # in my life.” I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's the first time I've ever heard a high-level politician refer to a colleague as Satan. And, yes, I also know what you're thinking. Boehner's tenure was one of the biggest flops in GOP history. When he needed to fight, he was weak. When he needed to stand tall he was withering and flaccid. Boehner was the ultimate example of the politician who promised a war, then abandoned the battle in favor of a cocktail party at the country club. Ted Cruz was one of the guys who drove that point home, so it's not surprising that Boehner despises him. The rest of the field fares better in the former Speaker's estimation.

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Boehner described other Republican candidates as friends. In particular, the former speaker said he has played golf with Donald Trump for years and that they were “texting buddies.” His friendship with Ohio Governor John Kasich, however, was a little more ambiguous. “[Kasich] requires more effort on my behalf than all my other friends … but he’s still my friend, and I love him,” Boehner said.

Boehner also gave a bit of credence to the theory that, at the last minute, crazy Uncle Joe could still jump into the 2016 fray. If Hillary's FBI troubles get any worse, he seems to think the DNC convention will be just as tumultuous as the GOP's shindig.

“Don’t be shocked … if two weeks before the convention, here comes Joe Biden parachuting in and Barack Obama fanning the flames to make it all happen,” Boehner said.