“Marco and I would both make a much better candidate and a much better president than would Donald,” Ted Cruz told CNN after the debate last Thursday. “Marco is not my enemy. Marco and I are friends.” If Cruz really believes this, he and his friend ought to announce before March is over that they will run as a team on one single ticket to secure their futures, their party and the current conservative project.

The communications gods that smiled on the Roosevelts, Reagan and Kennedy have smiled this year upon Rubio, so he is best off as the face of the party, but it could be made clear that this is a partnership. The model would be the Clinton-Gore ticket, which instead of looking for contrast, paired similar people. And the goal would be saving the world.