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Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said his experience passing an immigration bill with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) left him convinced his younger colleague isn't up to the presidency, in part because he's “so afraid of the right.” Graham made the comments to the Weekly Standard's Steven Hayes, and in the interview declared that he may run for president himself, saying he would want to inject his hawkish national security views into the debate. But his remarks about Rubio were perhaps more notable. Graham, for instance, compared Rubio's level of experience to President Obama's before taking offfice – albeit just before saying...

A fresh round of clues arrived this week from two Republican lawmakers who are regularly asked about their desire to pursue their party's nomination in 2016. While each cited different reasons, both Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas say they're now more interested in running. Rubio says the current Senate gridlock is limiting his ability to advocate for the kind of policies he sees as critical for moving America forward and that the White House might be a better place for that. "I'll have to make a decision in 2016 either way, because I'm up...

So things don’t look so encouraging for Rubio. But he may not be seriously eyeing a White House run anyway: A high-ranking GOP party official who asked that his name be withheld told me on Monday that Jeb Bush’s people have just met with Rubio’s people and a 2016 deal was struck. If Jeb runs for president then Rubio would drop out—and “Jeb is running,” according to my well-placed source. (Alert the media!)… Rubio knows his race will be tough since 2016 is the first time he would face a traditional two-person Senate battle. (His 2010 election was a quirky...

He’s a 42-year-old freshman senator, but when asked by Jonathan Karl on “This Week” if he’s ready to be president, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida answered without hesitation. “I do … but I think that’s true for multiple other people that would want to run … I mean, I’ll be 43 this month, but the other thing that perhaps people don’t realize, I’ve served now in public office for the better part of 14 years,” said Rubio. “Most importantly, I think a president has to have a clear vision of where the country needs to go and clear ideas...

He will be in future "Gang's of Eight"... (continued 31 second Video)

Allen West could attempt to return to Capitol Hill in 2016 if Marco Rubio runs for president. But West could find running for the U.S. Senate to be a difficult assignment. West talked to the Tampa Bay Times this week and shot down rumors that he would primary Rubio in 2016. Some conservatives and tea parties have called for West to challenge Rubio after the senator’s support of immigration reform. West continues to show no interest in taking Rubio on. But, when asked what he would do if Rubio ran for the Republican presidential nomination and not for the Senate,...

Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution provides, in pertinent part: No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.**snip**This political season, the eligibilities of Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal and Ted Cruz are the subject of debate. As much as we want certainty, the term “natural born...

Likable, authentic, and working to expand the Republican Party? Of course Rubio has been overtaken in the polls by Cruz, whose convictions match up perfectly with the GOP base. This summer, in an act of literary masochism, I read not one but two books about Marco Rubio. I came away from his memoir, An American Son, and Manuel Roig-Franzia’s excellent biography, The Rise of Marco Rubio, with the queasy feeling many Republicans must have had when they began reading Obama books in 2007 or 2008: this isn’t the guy you want to see on the other side of the line....

Senator Marco Rubio’s immigration reform effort is in danger. It might seem like his presidential ambitions are in trouble, too. His numbers are down; Chris Christie, Rand Paul, and Ted Cruz are starting to dominate the media’s discussion of 2016. In response, Rubio seems desperate to reestablish his conservative credentials, even by associating with a losing fight to defund Obamacare. That knee-jerk response calls Rubio’s political instincts into question, but his presidential chances are still alive, even if his immigration effort is on life support. Rubio’s immigration bid probably hurt him on the right, but Rubio was never a natural...

Iowa’s talk-radio hosts have been particularly brutal. Steve Deace, an influential Christian conservative, has warned Rubio not to even show up, and has often taunted him during broadcasts. “Zip, zilch, nada — he’s got no support, he would be dead on arrival,” Deace tells me. “He may end up running for president, but he can’t win here.” Rubio’s latest Iowa headache is Sam Clovis, a charismatic, suspenders-wearing Republican running for U.S. Senate. On the campaign trail, Clovis frequently uses Rubio as a target. Rather than hit President Obama, the usual rhetorical punching bag, he slams Rubio on immigration to score...

On Thursday, Public Policy Polling released its latest 2016 tracking poll of Iowa Republican voters. The results show a dramatic shift in Republican voter sentiment. Sen. Marco Rubio, who had led in previous surveys, has dropped to 5th place. Sen. Rand Paul now leads the pack in the critical first-caucus state.

Until recently, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida had occupied something of a sweet spot in Republican politics: a favorite of the Tea Party but also trusted by the establishment wing of the G.O.P. Mr. Rubio’s embrace of comprehensive immigration reform, however, appears to have upset that delicate balance, and his support has slipped among the Republican base. The mention of his name drew boos at an anti-immigration reform Tea Party rally on Capitol Hill in mid-June, and recent public opinion surveys, taken amid the debate on immigration legislation, found his favorability rating falling and his standing in 2016 Republican primary...

Marco Rubio’s push for immigration reform has yet to boost him much in the eyes of the nation’s Hispanic voters.

Outlets like Politico are overselling this, but for understandable reasons. The thought of a nationally known tea-party hero bloodying the nose of the great GOP hope in 2016 over amnesty is irresistible to political media. It’s momentarily irresistible to tea partiers too, I bet: Grassroots conservatives complain endlessly about Rubio these days due to his Gang of Eight fiasco but he’s gotten off with a wrist slap among prominent conservatives and most right-wing big media, apart from the occasional perfunctory expression of “disappointment.” How many border hawks out there wouldn’t want to see West, a guy respected by the grassroots...

Former Congressman Allen West left open the possibility of challenging U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fl, in a Republican primary come 2016 on Wednesday. "We'll see what happens down the pike," West said about taking on Rubio in 2016. "God will set my feet on the right path." Appearing a guest co-host on WMAL’s “Mornings on the Mall” in Washington, D.C., West acknowledged that defeating Rubio would be a tall order and could benefit Democrats. "That's a pretty heavy lift, because you're talking about running against a sitting senator, and then, of course, that creates that schism that the other side...

Passing major legislation is not a path to the presidency. So why is Sen. Marco Rubio, who is almost surely running for the 2016 Republican nomination, working so hard on comprehensive immigration reform? Look at the only lawmaker who has become president in the last half-century. Barack Obama did almost nothing in his brief time in the Senate. His career in the world's greatest deliberative body consisted mainly of showing up, becoming immediately dissatisfied and looking for something better. Obama never took a leading role crafting any piece of momentous legislation. And some of the things he did do, like...

<p>A parched Marco Rubio's awkward reach for a drink of Poland Spring water during his Republican rebuttal to the president's State of the Union address Tuesday night became an instant online sensation. Predictably, the video clips, jokes and Twitter hashtags that have become so familiar in such situations took the social Internet by storm.</p>

Freepers! Marco Rubio is just great and what a sense of humor. This is exactly how to respond to liberal hubris and their synthetic, hibrow, intellect. You need this water bottle if only to get Marco notice from now on. He is going to be Yuge and you need to support him.

Sen. Marco Rubio’s delivery of the GOP response to the State of the Union shows he’s a force the Democrats must reckon with, says former White House advisor Van Jones. The Florida Republican poses a “dangerous” political threat to Democrats because of his keen ability to emotionally connect with voters, Jones said.

"I'm going to get in trouble for saying this," said a prescient Joe Scarborough. Less than an hour after delivering a devastating take-down of the Obama economic record that surely pleased many conservatives, Scarborough made remarks about Marco Rubio that are bound to outrage many of the same folks. Commenting on Marco Rubio's response to the State of the Union, Scarborough declared that Rubio "is not ready to be President of the United States" and that "Republicans pushing him out there are making a big mistake." View the video here.