He's a stodgy old coward...but I can't help but feel pity for him.
Don't, he painted himself into this corner willingly.
I'm not so sure. Remember...was it this spring, when he almost got voted out of the Speakery? From his point of view, if he pisses off the rest of the GOP and they abandon him, then either a Tea Partier or (worse) a Democrat becomes speaker. The GOP have mandate to govern, as he sees it, so Pelosi can't become speaker, but he can't abandon the party to the crazies, so neither can Bachmann or her ilk. He's been succeeding with his balancing act just about as well as anybody could have up to this point, but the next two weeks may prove it untenable.
Now, if he does get voted out, then I suspect Pelosi will become Speaker- and I certainly dislike Pelosi, but she wouldn't let default happen; we'd raise the debt ceiling and get the government back up and running. I don't think Bachmann could possibly become speaker, she's too insane...although the fear of primary action may tempt the GOP hivemind into electing her anyways.
Neither option is good for the GOP. None of them particularly like Boehner, but he's the only force that can keep the party together. If a Dem becomes speaker, the party will seize up, panic, and abandon all pretenses of party unity to the wind, in a popcorny but tragic catfight the likes of which we haven't seen in a century and a half. If Bachmann becomes speaker, it's game over; she won't let a vote to keep the government up or raise the debt ceiling come to the floor unless it also involves a
total repeal (delay's for pansies and liberal sympathizers, dontchaknow) of Obamacare, which the Senate and White House will laugh back to the House; unless she shows a sudden flash of sanity (and she won't) we'll default.
In the meantime, a candid and insightful quote from GOP Representative Marlin Stutzman of Indiana:
""We're not going to be disrespected. We have to get something out of this.
And I don't know what that even is."