One senior House GOP aide quipped that many rank and file members who criticized Boehner's negotiationstrategy didn't understand that his effort would have given them some political cover at a time when Congress' ratings are at rock bottom.
The top United Nations envoy in Afghanistan, Steffan de Mistura, said the Taliban statement was "in the opposite direction" to many other recent signals, and could be part of a pre-negotiation strategy of creating perceptions, building up pressure and increasing military attacks.
The debate and vote has been arranged by the European Scrutiny Committee which forces the government to tell parliament of its broad strategy ahead of a big negotiation in Brussels.