It sure is good to trade a few thoughts again, FRiend! It's been a while but I'm still an avid reader of your posts here.
To further your point, even the enemy is awed by Ted Cruz. Specifically, Chris Hayes of MSNBC, the leftist network, had to put his ego to the side and grudgingly admit that Senator Cruz is a man of intellectual heft. Here's what he said:
In October 2007, I sat in the media gallery of the United States Supreme Court and watched the Solicitor General of Texas [Ted Cruz] argue on behalf of the state that he should have the ability to put to death a Mexican national who had been convicted of raping and murdering two teenage girls in Houston. He won that argument and he was executed by Texas on August 5th, 2008, despite the objections of the United Nations and the International Court of Justice.
At the time, I had no idea who this man arguing on behalf of Texas was. but all I could think was holy crap, this guy is good. It was one of his nine times arguing before the Supreme Court and he was witty, incredibly fast on his feet and clearly had a brilliant legal mind. It is to this day one of the most impressive displays I have ever seen before the Court and I have had the good fortune to spend a lot of time there.
Here's a link to the video. The segment referenced above begins less than a minute in.