Lil’ Marco, showing his fealty to his Liege Lord

Lil’ Marco, showing his fealty to his Liege Lord

by digby

Meditating on everything from Trump’s rise to his fractious relationship with Jeb Bush, Rubio revisited nearly every turn of his presidential run in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper that aired Sunday on “State of the Union.” The former presidential candidate, who has grudgingly said he will support Trump in November, also admitted a series of mistakes that he says eventually bedeviled his campaign.

Chief among those, Rubio has said, was belittling Trump for the size of his hands in the leadup to Super Tuesday, which he has publicly said he regrets. But Rubio went further when speaking with Tapper.

“I actually told Donald — one of the debates, I forget which one — I apologized to him for that,” Rubio said. “I said, ‘You know, I’m sorry that I said that. It’s not who I am and I shouldn’t have done it.’ I didn’t say it in front of the cameras, I didn’t want any political benefit.”

I don’t think Trump returned the favor. But I’m sure he liked seeing Lil’ Marco grovel. That’s what he lives for.

Rubio went on to say that he thinks Trump is a great “change agent” (what kind of change he doesn’t specify) and indicated he was ready to join the Trump party.

Here’s what a conservative leader who has any sense of patriotism and common sense says about Trump. It’s Bret Stephens of the Wall Street Journal Editorial board, a man with whom I have nothing politically in common. But like me, he sees the catastrophic reality of Donald Trump:

Fareed Zakaria: Brett, I have to ask you ,you have written eloquently against Donald Trump on the ticket. The rest of the Republican establishment has pretty much collapsed and surrendered to his not particularly warm embrace. Are you going to vote for Donald Trump in the fall.

Stephens: I most certainly will not vote for Donald Trump. I will vote for the least left wing opponent to Donald Trump and I will want to make a vote that will make sure he is the biggest loser in presidential history since Alf Landon or going back further. It’s important that Donald Trump and what he represents, this “ethnic conservatism or populism” be so decisively rebuked that the Republican party and Republican voters will forever learn their lesson that they cannot nominate a man so manifestly unqualified to be president in any way shape or form. They have to learn a lesson the way Democrats learned in 72. George Will has said lets have him lose 50 states. Why not Guam, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia too?

You’ll notice that he doesn’t use the usual cheap dodge about how Trump isn’t a “real conservative.” He makes the argument on the right grounds: Trump is “manifestly unqualified in any way, shape or form.”

This is what’s at stake. It’s not a game and it isn’t about ideology. It’s about the fact that this loon is unfit. There are a few Republicans who are willing to say this out loud. But most are like Lil’ Marco — selling out whatever is left of their integrity for a favor from The Donald.

This is the litmus test of litmus tests. Did you speak up when the party nominates someone who is manifestly unqualified or not?