There's an old saying in the rough and tumble world of politics: "If you're going after the king, kill him, don't wound him."

That lesson reared its ugly head late Tuesday afternoon in Washington DC as Speaker of the House John Boehner meted out his payback against the handful of Republicans who dared to suggest that maybe the party should look for a new speaker.

According to Politico, Boehner's revenge was swift and harsh:

The removal of Florida Reps. Daniel Webster and Rich Nugent from Rules was meant as a clear demonstration that what Boehner and other party leaders accepted during the last Congress is no longer acceptable, not with the House’s biggest GOP majority in decades.

The reason for dethroning the two Florida Republicans was simple: Webster ran against Boehner for speaker, distributing fliers outlining his candidacy and talking about how he would better adhere to the House rules than the Ohio Republican. Nugent supported his fellow Floridian in the quixotic endeavor, which garnered the support of 12 lawmakers. Webster didn’t even give Boehner a heads-up that he was running, although leadership was aware early Tuesday morning that it could happen.

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) -- one of the 25 votes against Boehner's reelection -- took to Twitter to decry the vindictive acts:

#Speaker Boehner kicked Webster and Nugent off Rules Committee 4 voting against Boehner. No room for intimidation tactics. I stand w/them.

— Steve King (@SteveKingIA) January 6, 2015