Eric Cantor and John Boehner: The Bromance Is Over

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On Thursday, Congressman Eric Cantor will step down from his post as House majority leader, following his shocking primary defeat in June, thus ending his Capitol Hill bromance with House Speaker John Boehner — a relationship that captivated so many hearts across the nation.

When Cantor first assumed the role of HML in 2011, some speculated that the up-and-comer was angling for Boehner’s job, but the GOP’s two top dogs were not to be defined by acrimony — after all, what good romance doesn’t begin with a little tension? (Have you seen The Notebook?)

Here, we’ve assembled a scrapbook that illustrates the bromance heard round the Beltway, each photo captioned with a lyric from Alan Jackson’s “Remember When,” because obviously. It is highly advisable to play the song as you click through the photos.

Eric Cantor John Boehner
Remember when I was young so were you. Time stood still, and love was all we knew.Mark Wilson—Getty Images
Eric Cantor John Boehner
We lived and learned. Life threw curves. There was joy, and there was hurt.Tom Williams—CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images
Eric Cantor John Boehner
Remember when old ones died and new were born. And life was changed, disassembled, and rearranged.Douglas Graham—CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images
Eric Cantor John Boehner
We came together, fell apart, and broke each other's hearts. Remember when.Mark Wilson—Getty Images
Eric Cantor John Boehner
Remember when the sound of little feet, was the music we danced to week to week?J. Scott Applewhite—AP
Eric Cantor John Boehner
Remember when thirty seemed so old. Now lookin' back, it's just a steppin' stone. To where we are, where we've been. Said we'd do it all again.Alex Wong—Getty Images
Eric Cantor John Boehner
Remember when we said when we turned gray, when the children grow up and move away...Alex Wong—Getty Images
Eric Cantor John Boehner
We won't be sad, we'll be glad, for all the life we've had.Carolyn Kaster—AP
John Boehner Eric Cantor
And we'll remember when. Jim Watson—AFP/Getty Images

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