>> certainly did. >> he said it was a mistake. it took me from being a statesman, potential statesman and put me back in this politician that people weren't so sure about and it backfired. >> i covered that as the white house correspondent. people like to say the democrats were sneaked up on by what happened in 1994. the president wasn't sneaked up o he went out and campaigned his hide off against what he referred to as stop after stop after stop as a contract on america, which was his play on the republicans ran on that fall.e all the elements which were fairly popular. no one knew at the time how it would play out. a engetic and partisan and utter failure. >> chris: do you think obama going after boehner and trying to make this a choice is smart politics for democrats? >> the proem with that, bane as others suggested