This new generation of candidates has been raised under a different set of rules. They know that the media is their enemy but they also know that they are talking to the American people, not some agenda-driven provocateur. In this exchange, Rubio uses what is obviously some sort of “media tracker” question as a way of attacking Hillary and, in the process, educating people about what she believes. The issue never becomes “Rubio got defensive” or “Rubio has a strange belief” the message is that Rubio’s position is very reasonable and Hillary’s position is so vile, note the emotionally laden language he uses to describe it, that even the questioner can’t defend it. This is the textbook way to handle dishonest questions.

Rubio is the most talented communicator I’ve seen on the national stage since the early days of Bill Clinton. Even then, Clinton looked good because the toughest questions he ever got were “don’t you think it is unfair that you are so handsome and brilliant?” If Rubio gets the nomination, watching him flay Hillary Clinton alive during the debates will be awesome.