president obama on a very touchy political topic, and the republicans deathly afraid they'd get drawn into defending big oil nevertheless pulled bay boehner back from the brink and they issued the statement that you read just a few minutes ago. >> i've got to tell you, howard. i thought boehner's initial comment was actually brilliant politically. it would be a genius move for republicans to go into the tax code, go after corporate tax subsidies in the tax code. if they did that, the democrats would just be lost in terms of power. >> i agree. >> but of course he got pulled back. last night, i had grover norquist on the show, in this spot specifically to highlight exactly what republicans are up against when they go into this sort of thing. and we actually talked about a tax subsidy, the ethanol tax subsidy that grover norquist thinks is terrible, i think is terrible. but he explained why he would not allow republicans to just repeal it. let's listen to what grover