Why … no, actually. But I remember him saying he was a conservative. And so does Kendrick Meek, who’s rolling this spot out today to try to finish Crist off among Democrats in Florida. Nothing will get rid of the nasty aftertaste from that horrible Murkowski poll, but here’s a piece of candy to help you try: Not only is Rasmussen showing Rubio up by double digits this afternoon, but a brand new poll from CNN has almost identical numbers. In fact, the polls have been remarkably consistent over the past six weeks. Rubio’s settled in the low 40s, Crist at around 30, and Meek in the low 20s, with the independent’s decline entirely coincidental with the Democrat’s rise. Which is to say, the sun has begun to set on Sunshine Charlie. The only worry now is that he and Meek might make some sort of deal by which one drops out and endorses the other. Given the tenor of this spot, I’m guessing the guy who drops out isn’t going to be Kendrick Meek.

The best part of this spot, of course, is that it’s also sort of an ad for Rubio too. Any centrist Florida Republicans who are thinking of voting for Crist because he’s not a conservative but a “principled independent” are invited to watch carefully. Exit question: What if Murky pulls it out in Alaska but Crist goes down in flames in Florida, thus effectively ending his breathtakingly cynical, careerist bid for higher office? Will that ease the pain? A little?