Rep. Frank says GOP bill the result of a 'weakened' House Speaker

House Financial Services Committee Ranking Member Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said Friday afternoon that House Speaker John Boehner's revised debt ceiling bill is the result of a "weakened" Speaker who was forced to cave in to hard-right Republicans.

Frank said Boehner's bill is a "substantive mess," referring to the late addition of a required balanced budget vote. But Frank said he can't blame Boehner for having to change the bill in light of the problems he is having with his own party.

"We have seen him all week forced to retreat, continually, from an effort to be conservative but somewhat responsible, to a position where today we have a bill that no one thinks will solve the problem, because it makes as a prerequisite to raising the debt a constitutional amendment that no one thinks will pass," Frank said.

Frank also said that by forcing the addition of a balanced budget amendment vote, Tea Party Republicans also forced Boehner to break several procedural promises in order to rush today's vote.

"There is no procedural promise that the Republicans made that they have left unbroken," Frank said. "So we have a flawed bill, brought to us by a weakened speaker, under an unfortunate and undemocratic process."

Frank also suggested in his brief floor remarks that Boehner's theme song should be "It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To," because members of his own party forced him to retreat on his original bill.