Ted was perfectly within his rights to tell the Trumpster to perch and swivel. I cannot imagine how party loyalty is supposed to demand that you bend over and spread your cheeks to the man who insulted your wife AND your father. Maybe its just because he's Cuban, or at least Cuban Canadian, but I salute his action, and politics has nothing to do with it. Its the least any real man could do, and if he hadn't he would have revealed himself as much a spineless sycophant as those who booed him.

From a purely tactical point of view, it was the smart thing to do. If Trump is not elected, or if he's elected and does poorly, Cruz is positioned as the man who stood up to him and tried to warn his party how badly it was stepping on its collective dick. In the event Trump is a successful President, or is re-elected four years from now, then chances are no one will remember anyway in 2024.

It wasn't just the right thing to do, it was the smart thing to do.