Grow up, Sen. Rubio!

MIAMI – Marco Rubio needs to be slapped on the side of his head. The type of smack a defensive lineman in football might employ on his offensive counterpart when the ref’s not looking. A good hard blow in the ear hole that will keep his head ringing for days.

Of course I mean this figuratively. But if there is anyone in the U.S. Congress that deserves this type of flagrance, it is the cocky U.S. senator from Florida. And the person to teach him the lesson might best be Secretary of State John Kerry – a very tall man, with probably large hands, and a bag-full of experience Rubio wishes he had.

I mention this because the arrogant Rubio too often offers statements and opinions to the media that are obvious demagoguism. For example, if you will remember just a few months back, Sen. Rubio became a proud eagle among the many hawks in Congress. There wasn’t a conflict around the globe he wouldn’t send U.S. soldiers to. He wanted the U.S. to attack, especially in places around the Middle East, Russia and who knows where else.

Of course, Rubio has never seen battle personally. And I’m pretty sure that no immediate family member has ever been exposed to the ugly violence of war. And I would also ask him if he’d be willing to send his own son or daughter to those wars he so wants to start.

But it’s a recent, brief article I read in The Hill about Sen. Rubio that has my dander up. It tells us about a message sent by him to John Kerry castigating the Secretary of State and warning that Cuba should not be allowed to participate in the upcoming Summit of the Americas in Panama.

“Cuba should not be allowed to undermine the commitment to democracy made by the remaining nations of the Western Hemisphere during the Summit process,” Rubio’s message reads.

“The United States should not stand idly by if Panama does indeed intend to invite Cuba to the Summit,” Rubio wrote. “I urge you to reaffirm the United States’ position that Cuba should only be welcome to participate in the Summit when the Castro regime abandons its repression of the island’s population.”

First and foremost, it’s not up to the U.S. to invite anyone to Panama. That is a choice the Panamanian government must make. Or does Marco still feel the need to tell Latin America how to behave?

Also, it appears that the senator has yet to find out that the letter of invitation from Panama to the Cubans has already been delivered.

Secondly Mr. Rubio, the decision to attend (or not) the Summit is up to the President of the United States, not a whiny, little, ugly American senator from Florida who wants to be president – no matter the cost.

Grow up, Sen. Rubio!