Ted Cruz, a Man of Principle

More baloney. By adhering to his principles and refusing to fall in line behind Trump, Cruz is now the new national leader of a constituency that was crying out for someone to carry the mantle: "Real Republicans Who Are 'Never Trump.'"

Besides, it was goofy of New York Republican Rep. Peter King -- who has never liked Cruz and criticized him often -- to accuse him of being "not a true Republican and not a true conservative."

Hey, congressman, have you met your party's nominee? Donald Trump was a Democrat most of his life. He got into this race shortly after a private phone conversation with Bill Clinton, fueling speculation in some quarters that his real goal was to destroy the GOP from within. And Trump's positions on trade, abortion, gay marriage and the Iraq War can hardly be called "conservative" -- unless we're talking about a Manhattan conservative, the kind of person who, anywhere else in America, would be a liberal.

So what if some in the media, or the GOP, don't like Cruz. Similar to a certain Republican nominee, Cruz couldn't care less. Trump supporters who think this sort of attitude is a positive for their guy now believe it's a negative for anyone else.

I've known Cruz for a dozen years, and, while we disagree on some issues, I'm immensely proud of what he did.

According to media reports, Team Trump -- having read a copy of Cruz's speech beforehand -- knew that the renegade was not going to endorse the man who beat him for the nomination. And while they let him speak anyway, they reportedly made it clear that he would be booed by delegates.

I guess they hoped the mere thought of such a spectacle would scare Cruz and get him back in line. They were wrong. It took courage and character for Cruz to stand his ground, and he has an ample supply of both.

Overall, it was a great moment for the Lone Star senator. This is one Texan you don't mess with.

========

Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com.