I don’t buy it, but just the thought of how gut-wrenching the possibility must be to Rubio’s fans tickles me enough to write it up. This is the beauty of being a Cruz fan — you know he’s cynical. He can’t let you down too badly because you’re aware going in that Cruz is looking out for number one. I’ll be mad when he inevitably endorses Trump and will write an angry post or two when he gives the big “unity!” speech at the convention, but I’m already in the process of making peace with both outcomes because I expect them. Rubio fans, though, view their guy as nobler than petty politics. He’s the true anti-Trump, preaching optimism and inclusiveness when he’s not making jokes about the size of Trump’s hands. He’s Bambi. And Bambi would never form a ticket with a Godzilla-ish demagogue like Trump. Or would he?

Nah, he wouldn’t. For one simple reason: If he did, Democrats would spend the next six months running clips of Rubio tearing into Trump every which way on the trail this past year. They’d do major ads composed of nothing but Marco soundbites stitched together. Every ticket formed by two candidates can be attacked that way, since the VP invariably has said something unkind about the nominee at some point in the process (Carly Fiorina once accused Cruz of saying anything to get elected). But voters are willing to dismiss that stuff as garden-variety political attacks designed for advantage. Calling your running mate a “con artist” who’s unfit to lead the party of Lincoln and Reagan is an order of magnitude different. Rubio will have enough trouble reconciling those comments with his role as a minor endorser of Trump’s as to make the thought of him as VP unimaginable.

In the past several weeks, Rubio was quietly “lobbying for the job,” two sources told Newsmax…

With no convention floor fight now expected, Trump’s high command decided that Rubio “would not be a good fit” for several reasons.

Rubio would likely not woo Hispanic-American voters in large numbers. Rubio also lost his home state primary by a large margin to Trump, creating doubt that Rubio would help Trump carry Florida…

Trump also feels the junior Florida senator doesn’t have the experience he wants to see in his vice president, credentials that might offset Hillary Clinton’s likely charge that Trump is not knowledgeable enough about the federal government.

Can you imagine how Trump fans would react to him picking Captain Amnesty as his right-hand man? Even so, apparently a few delegates from Louisiana who are pledged to Rubio sent a letter to Trump asking him to consider their guy for VP. And then there’s that mysterious NYT report yesterday about “multiple phone conversations” happening lately between Trump and Rubio. If Rubio’s out of the running for VP, what could that be about? I assume it has to do with Trump asking him for fundraising help and some joint appearances in Florida aimed at cutting into Hillary’s margins with Latino voters. We’ll see how big Rubio’s role in the campaign ends up being, but it’s worth noting that Trump apparently complimented him at his rally today before throwing some jabs at #NeverTrumpers like Jeb Bush and Lindsey Graham. That’s a fine legacy for Rubio’s Senate career. “A lot like Lindsey Graham, except more pro-Trump.”

Speaking of VP candidates who are no longer in the running, how on earth did this slapfight happen? A Trump/Scarborough punch-up is as unlikely as Hannity asking Trump a challenging question.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/728646402985869312
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/728651908563517440

"Rapidly fading?" Umm…we are enjoying our best ratings ever. Lots of luck, fella. https://t.co/DVsBHctzgd

— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) May 6, 2016

Define "rapidly fading," Donnie boy. https://t.co/DVsBHctzgd

— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) May 6, 2016

Is … this what set Trump off? Good lord. How many times does he need to see a formerly critical big-name Republican capitulate to him before he realizes their criticism is always insincere? The way this bromance has gone over the past year, Scarborough may well end up casting an early vote for Trump on air.