It came down to the frayed edges of the wire, but the House finally passed the fiscal cliff-averting deal hammered out by the Senate earlier this week.

Sure, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 only delays the automatic spending cuts by a couple of months — meaning we'll be right back here before you know it — but it was all worth it if only for Politico's play-by-play of the "the fiscal cliff deal that almost wasn't."

The report is a longread to be sure, but if you're unsure whether or not it's worth your precious attention, consider this enticing White House lobby exchange between House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid:

"Go f- yourself," Boehner sniped as he pointed his finger at Reid, according to multiple sources present.

Reid, a bit startled, replied: "What are you talking about?"

Boehner repeated: "Go f- yourself."

Politico says Boehner was reacting to Reid's earlier claim that Boehner was running the House like a "dictatorship," and that Boehner later "bragged" to his fellow Republicans about calling Reid out.

Boehner would go on to vote for the deal; Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy voted nay.

[photo via AP]