Look, I’m under no illusions that last week’s now-infamous exchange with Chris Christie cost Marco Rubio dearly, but a bad three minutes does not a robot make. In my twenty-plus years of constitutional litigation and conservative writing I’ve had the opportunity to meet with any number of politicians, and Rubio has always stood out to me as one of three contemporary senators who are among the most genuine and thoughtful of all the politicians I’ve met. The other two are Nebraska’s Ben Sasse and Kentucky’s Rand Paul. (I haven’t spoken to Ted Cruz since law school, so I can’t make any personal assessment that isn’t dated by 22 years.)

In my experience in off-the-record conversations, Rubio is unguarded and deeply knowledgeable. If you talk to him for more than five minutes about the Middle East and the threat from radical Islam, you’ll know that he’s thought deeply about our challenge and is incredibly well-informed. And I say that from a position of inherent cynicism and skepticism. I’ve seen countless politicians – even in the most private of settings – never succeed in turning off the talking points. For some, it’s as if a life of constant campaigning — of never being sure if a comment will come back and bite them — has drained them of a piece of their humanity. Their robotic speech has transformed from a perceived political necessity to an essential part of their nature.

Yes, Rubio repeats himself at debates and on the stump, but so does every single politician.