What in heaven's name is Cruz up to this time?

One of the many things I love about this country is that this is a land whose people will never elect Ted Cruz as its president. So why did he make this semi ripple yesterday when he staged this mini-event in front of a bunch of right-wing college students — all of whom we forced to attend and a significant number of whom wore Rand Paul t-shirts? One news moderator stated flat out last night that what Cruz did was to announce his candidacy for vice-president.

I don’t get it. What Republican seriously hoping to buck the political tide to win the presidency in 2016 would be so stupid as to name Cruz as his running mate. Wait a minute … there was that fellow from Arizona for whom I had a modest amount of respect for until he pulled the all-time political boner by naming Sarah Palin for vice president. So I guess when it comes to that, anything is possible.

But then Palin was largely an unknown in the thawed out sections of the country. Cruz is anything but. And he goes out of his way to alienate other Republicans. I have heard him referred to many times as "the most hated man in Congress." Listen to his speech yesterday. It was all about criticizing other Republicans for not agreeing with his wacko views.

Cruz will do well where the IQ of the Republican voter is not all that high — Iowa, South Carolina and, of course, right here in Texas. But is he hoping to leverage that into … well, what exactly?

I think Cruz is all about ego and his candidacy has nothing to do with realistic expectations. Unlike Palin, Cruz is not stupid. He’s got something up his sleeve besides any honest-to-heavens belief he could actually one day become president. But what is it? Is it merely to drive the Republican debate and platform so far to the right that it plunges right over the cliff? Does he want to be the one presiding over the wreckage he alone causes?

Since he became a U.S. senator every single strategic move he has tried to thwart one of President Obama’s programs has failed miserably. I can’t see how this latest one can succeed either —no way, no how.