Sen. Marco Rubio has long denied interest in being the GOP running mate. For the first time, I believe him.
What else explains his endorsement of Mitt Romney for president?
In my estimation, this, perhaps ironically, makes Rubio a less appealing pick (should Romney be the nominee).
Selecting a running mate can be a cathartic experience. But how can Romney now unite the GOP’s disparate factions by picking someone who’s already on his team?
I’ve covered Rubio for years now, and have found him to be impressive. But if his goal was to help unite the party, he got the timing wrong. By holding out longer, and agreeing to be Romney’s running mate later, he could have served an important function as the bridge between the GOP establishment and the tea party/grassroots conservative base.
But this move seems to deprive Romney of the ceremonial, but very important, gesture of uniting the GOP establishment and conservatives by picking Rubio as a concession.