This is how Republicans destroy their own narrative of the lawless Obama presidency: with a faceplant.

When House Speaker John Boehner officially announced that he planned to sue President Obama, he was absolutely clear about one thing. He didn't know what the bill of particulars would be, or really anything other than that he would take Obama to court. But he knew that the scope of Obama's lawlessness was widespread enough that it merited significant legal action. This wasn't a picayune disagreement with the executive, but a pattern of behavior that had upset the balance of Constitutional power at the expense of Congress.

"I believe the president is not faithfully executing the laws of our country, and on behalf of the institution and our Constitution, standing up and fighting for this is in the best long-term interest of the Congress," Boehner said.

His memo to House Republicans in anticipation of the lawsuit listed a whole range of policy areas across which Obama had "strain[ed] the boundaries of the solemn oath he took on Inauguration Day"—"from health care and energy to foreign policy and education."

With so many instances of law breaking to choose from, one got the sense that he was working on a fairly meaty complaint, even if the House stood little chance of winning in court.