What We Learned from the Donald Trump-Marco Rubio Screamfest

Donald Trump stood in the middle of a stage in Houston, Texas, on Thursday night at a debate hosted by CNN and Telemundo. His opponents were yelling. Trump gestured at one of them, Senator Marco Rubio, and said, “First of all, this guy is a choke artist, and this guy”—he swivelled a finger toward Ted Cruz—“is a liar.” He kept talking over protests from both men, and again pointed at each of them. “He can’t do it for the obvious reason, and he can’t do it because he doesn’t know how to tell the truth. Other than that, I rest my case.” Trump put down his hands and pulled in his shoulders, like a scavenger bird waiting for the next dead iguana. The ensuing bids for the floor from Rubio and Cruz proved so impossible to adjudicate that Wolf Blitzer, the main moderator, resorted to calling on Governor John Kasich, of Ohio, who, along with Ben Carson, had been ignored for much of what was a loud and bitter night.