Scott Lucas

He takes a few years off, around 2008, 2009, and has a post at a university, but he's preparing to get into the U.S.

Senate.

And he succeeds in the 2010 election.

And of course, you know, that's his springboard.

Except his rise is interrupted to an extent when he runs against Donald Trump in 2016 and not only fails to get the nomination, Trump humiliates him.

You might remember that nickname, Little Marco, that Trump kept using and still has in his pocket if he falls out with Rubio.

So Rubio repairs his career after that defeat in the presidential campaign by focusing on the Senate, building up his profile there, very public on a number of issues, especially foreign policy issues, and then gets the tap to become Trump's Secretary of State.

In Trump's second term.

And here's the challenge, because in the first few months of that administration, Rubio was very, very quiet, almost seemed like he was intimidated because of the fear of offending Trump.

Your sharp listeners may know that there's a meme out there of a character named Homer Simpson who retreats back into a hedge.

Well, that was being applied to Marco Rubio, right?

Well, Marco has now come out of the hedge.

For better or worse, Marco has come out – and I think this coincides with the fact that very soon candidates for the presidential run in 2028 – and of course Trump legally can't run again.

I don't think he will try to defy that.

Candidates have to begin to prepare for their campaigns, and that's going to include Rubio and Vance.

They have to start raising money.

They have to start putting donors together.

They have to start putting political action committees together, either while they're in office or just after they step down.

And that, I think, accounts for the positioning that we're getting of Rubio and Vance on Iran, on Cuba, and on domestic issues.

Oh, his worldview's changed because Donald Trump's in office.