Ever since their doomed-to-fail attempt to defund Obamacare in 2013, conservatives have bristled at criticism over their legislative tactics. But now they are presented with a hill that is actually worth dying on.

John Boehner, who is halfway out of the door, has struck a budget deal with President Obama that is truly cynical. It resorts to precisely the gimmickry for which Republicans once rightly excoriated congressional Democrats.