i know to get boone to start the quest, you have to get 5 "boone points" you basically get them by killing or saving prisoners and doing anti-legion stuff while boone is equipped as a companion. I know i have 2, because we went to the fort and he asked what we were doing there, and i said "spying, then we'll leave". thats 2 points. you can also get them by clearing out cottonwood cove, the fort, killing caesar, rescuing/killing the hostages in nelson, rescuing the powder gangers at the legion camp, etc. sadly, ive done all of these, without boone. is there anything i can do left to get that dang quest?!?!?

You need to talk to Manny Vargas about Bittersprings. Quest won't trigger without that conversation.

If you have done all of those without boone you may be out of luck. The only other way I can think of is Killing Benny with Boone, but I am assuming you did that already?

when all fails there is some mod which has Presents for Craig that will give those Sympathy Points...

Did you interrogate Silus at McCarran for Carrie Boyd or deal with the spy at McCarran?