The conventional wisdom in Washington, D.C., is that President Obama bested his Republican foes, particularly U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, in their recent negotiations on tax legislation designed to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff.

Given the political unhappiness, backbiting, and general grumbling on the GOP side, it’s pretty clear that the conventional wisdom, so far as it can be determined, is correct.

Perhaps that’s why Speaker Boehner has declared that his recent round of negotiations with Obama will be his last, that he’s done trying to flesh out legislative agreements with the White House, and that he plans to return to the more traditional form of lawmaking – allowing the House and Senate to pass bills through the committee system.