en. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the 41-year-old Cuban-American being billed as the potential savior of the Republican Party, gave a measured, conservative response to President Obama's State of the Union address. His official GOP rebuttal was a Reagan-infused paean to faith, free markets, and small government. But while some conservatives were very impressed with Rubio's performance, the consensus largely validates Jeb Golinkin's warning to Rubio: "Call whomever it is you call about these things, say you have the flu, and stay home."

True statement. RT @stupolitics: Never, I mean never, do the SOTU response. It's a no-win proposition.

— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) February 13, 2013

Rubio didn't look like a cartoonish sitcom character (see Gov. Bobby Jindal, 2009), but about halfway into his televised speech, he apparently got very thirsty. It looked like this:

Twitter, being Twitter, couldn't talk about anything else. First there was shock at Rubio's awkward grab for his bottle of water:

Rubio compelling but a bit cotton-mouthed.

— John Avlon (@JohnAvlon) February 13, 2013

oh no.

— Sam Stein (@samsteinhp) February 13, 2013

Wha????? Water. Stylish!

— Marc Ambinder (@marcambinder) February 13, 2013

That was awkward

— Anthony De Rosa (@AntDeRosa) February 13, 2013

DID THAT JUST HAPPEN

— Alex Pareene (@pareene) February 13, 2013

That. Just. Happened.

— The Fix (@TheFix) February 13, 2013

Then amusement:

Jesus walked on water. Rubio drank it #saviors (ok, done)

— Sam Stein (@samsteinhp) February 13, 2013

Congratulations to Sen. Marco Rubio for his eloquent, and needed, demonstration of the importance of being hydrated. #GOP #SOTU

— Rob Lowe (@RobLowe) February 13, 2013

"Wow, these pretzels are DELICIOUS!" - Marco Rubio, 15 minutes ago

— delrayser (@delrayser) February 13, 2013

Now, if Rubio reached for a mojito that would have been awesome.

— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) February 13, 2013

Then came sympathy:

Poor Marco Rubio: It was the gulp that roared. TV can be a cruel medium #sotu

— EJ Dionne (@EJDionne) February 13, 2013

As someone who talks a lot, I sympathize with Rubio. I drink a LOT of water on TV.

— The Fix (@TheFix) February 13, 2013

Rubio is a very fine speaker (see convention speech), but tonight was a reminder why giving the SOTU response is a tough assignment

— Mark Murray (@mmurraypolitics) February 13, 2013

And blaming the victim:

Rubio's water moment was trivial. But he should know by now that weird visuals go viral. A seasoned pol woulda quenched thirst in advance.

— Dick Polman (@DickPolman1) February 13, 2013

Style really does matter. It’s not “fair” to judge @marcorubio because he was thirsty, but our politics incentivizes moments over speeches.

— Marc Ambinder (@marcambinder) February 13, 2013

And finally, the the self-referential self-loathing of a group of media types realizing they are all obsessing, en masse, about a single, goofy moment:

Everyone On Twitter Made The Exact Same Joke About Marco Rubio's Water Break bzfd.it/XJcmK2

— BuzzFeed Politics (@BuzzFeedPol) February 13, 2013

agreed RT @robertcostanro: Rubio's sip of water is suddenly the biggest story on Twitter? Come on, now, people.

— Sam Stein (@samsteinhp) February 13, 2013

Twitter has officially jumped the shark. 2006-2012, it was a good run. buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynsk…

— Andrew Kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) February 13, 2013

Basically the reporters at the SOTU should have stayed home and gif'd things. #trafficbaby #traffic

— daveweigel (@daveweigel) February 13, 2013

Think of this: In an age before Twitter, is Rubio's water thing at all a big deal?

— The Fix (@TheFix) February 13, 2013

Ugh there are gonna be a million "Don't Make Fun of Rubio" and "In Defense of Making Fun of Marco Rubio For Being a Goober" pieces tomorrow

— Alex Pareene (@pareene) February 13, 2013

Some Rubio supporters tried to defuse the situation:

Sure, Rubio is thirsty ... thirsty for an unshackled American free enterprise system!

— James Pethokoukis (@JimPethokoukis) February 13, 2013

Rubio's awkward sip didn't hurt him. If anything, he connected with Americans who fear such a public-speaking moment--aka everyone.

— Robert Costa (@robertcostaNRO) February 13, 2013

But it was Rubio himself (or perhaps his social media team) that turned a potentially embarrassing meme into a shared joke, maybe even a political plus:

#GOPResponse #SOTU #gop #tcot twitter.com/marcorubio/sta…

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 13, 2013

And that, politicians, is how it's done:

And.. Gaffe expunged. Kudos to Rubio and his team for this. ->“@marcorubio: #GOPResponse #SOTU #gop #tcot twitter.com/marcorubio/sta…”

— Marc Ambinder (@marcambinder) February 13, 2013

Well played, sir RT @marcorubio: #GOPResponse #SOTU #gop #tcot bit.ly/12vByoI

— Anthony De Rosa (@AntDeRosa) February 13, 2013

He understands: In the age of Twitter, you have to be a good sport. MT @marcorubio #SOTU twitter.com/marcorubio/sta…

— Eric Kleefeld (@EricKleefeld) February 13, 2013

This is like Obama's response to Eastwood & the empty chair. RT @marcorubio: #GOPResponse #SOTU #gop #tcot twitter.com/marcorubio/sta…

— Megan Hess (@mhess4) February 13, 2013

I don't agree w/ most of your ideas but excellent internet form sir. RT @marcorubio: #GOPResponse #SOTU #gop #tcot twitter.com/marcorubio/sta…”

— Erik Vidor (@ErikVidor) February 13, 2013

Meme closed.