I think I agree with you. Cruz was doing the correct thing in staying above it all... letting Trump drag him into the mud-slinging is like letting the Flash goad you into a footrace. When it comes to media bantering, Trump is King, and it is one of his very good points as a potential GOP candidate. The GOP needs to learn this skill badly... but taking it up, as a novice, just weeks before Iowa, is not the way to go.