(Larry Downing/Reuters)

Last week this is what a gleeful John Boehner had to say about the GOP having their ransom demands met on the debt deal:

When you look at this final agreement that we came to with the White House, I got 98 percent of what I wanted. I'm pretty happy.

And tonight, for the first time in this country's history, "S&P cut the long-term U.S. credit rating by one notch to AA-plus," because:

The political brinksmanship of recent months highlights what we see as America’s governance and policymaking becoming less stable, less effective, and less predictable than what we previously believed. The statutory debt ceiling and the threat of default have become political bargaining chips in the debate over fiscal policy ... It appears that for now, new revenues have dropped down on the menu of policy options.

Congratulations, Mr. Speaker.