By now you've heard that Ted Cruz did not endorse Donald Trump on the third night of the RNC, as is customary for any featured, prime-time speaker. Megyn Kelly hosted some of her colleagues after Cruz's shocking non-endorsement speech.
Brett Baier noticed that Trump even walked out before Cruz was on the final paragraph of his address, and that this was just beyond unprecedented.
Brit Hume was appalled that Ted couldn't measure up to St. Reagan. Ronnie behaved downright nobly during the 1976 Convention, when Gerald Ford narrowly edged him out for the GOP nod. Brit wasn't sure if the demographic of voters Trump and Cruz share will forgive Ted if this turns out in a Democrat's favor.
Chris Wallace recalled Reagan's famous quote that there's no substitute for victory, and tht 'vote your conscience' was no substitute for a real endorsement.
WALLACE: Win or lose for Donald Trump, I think Cruz will pay a price, I think he looks like a sore loser.
Tucker Carlson simply couldn't understand why?...how?... what? he appeared genuinely puzzled. This is just not customary. It's not the Republican Party you knew in prep school, now is it Tucker?
CARLSON: My first question is, how did this happen? These speeches are vetted; typically by the convention, by the candidate, this is Trump's convention... if you don't want to be with Trump, don't show up and most Republicans and many Republicans did not.
BAIER: Let me interrupt, we were told late tonight, that they did not see the speech.
CARLSON: That does not happen at conventions. In my lifetime, I don't think anyone's given a speech at a convention that has not been vetted by the candidate. I'd be fascinated to know how this happened.
Really Tucker? You haven't noticed that Trump has no desire to read pretty much anything? You didn't consider Trump's inability to see himself as anything but a deity and how it might cause a bit of myopia? Tucker, you didn't notice that it might affect the perception of how the rest of the world sees him? You don't notice a tragic example of hubris, Tucker?
Who better to demonstrate the ultimate in ironic miscalculations than Tucker Carlson?
Hume was fuming. Cruz was so duplicitous, defending Trump for so much of the campaign, and then turning on him like this tonight. Hume, uncharacteristically dallied with a Texas accent in his mockery of Rafael Jr., and how, during the primary, Cruz referred to Trump glowingly, saying, 'he's a breath of fresh air,' 'sucked up' to Trump any chance he could. So this was a well-planned effort to sabotage the nominee, and he waited for the most damaging moment possible.
HUME: He tried to slipstream the Trump campaign and believed that he would fade and he'd inherit that constituency.
Either Hume was going for an Emmy award for best dramatic performance by an actor or he was genuinely surprised that any Republican would damage the GOP in such an open and obvious manner. It's hard for those inside the bubble to see Ted Cruz for the two-headed snake he really is.
Kelly was amazed that Trump was too 'gracious' by extending an invitation to Cruz. The panel saw the Texas Junior Senator as no hero for this stunt. Apparently, Trump's abuse of her, the "blood flow" insult (after the GOP debate less than a year ago) has been forgiven and forgotten. But Bill Clinton's two decades-old affairs can't be forgiven or forgotten. Ever.
Either way, for now, Cruz is the hated one at the very same network soon to be kicking their own Ailes-ment to the curb. (sorry, had to do it)
Chris Wallace closed the segment with a little joke:
WALLACE: There's a line in Washington. Why do they take such an instant dislike to Cruz? Because it saves so much time.
