Marco Rubio's motto in the Senate was 'WWJD: What would Jeb do?'

Michael Barbaro of The New York Times reported today that a simmering feud between Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush, an early supporter of Rubio's meteoric rise to the Senate, has broken out into the open as the two men prepare to clash in the 2016 presidential race. Team Bush basically feels that the younger Rubio is impertinently trying to jump ahead of his former mentor, while Team Rubio thinks Bush is yesterday's news.

But it appears that Bush may be able to turn Rubio's age and inexperience against him — using Rubio's own words. Barbaro also reports, on the Times' First Draft vertical, that Rubio in 2012 delivered a gushing video birthday tribute to Bush in which he declared, "Often in the Senate when faced with a tough choice, I ask myself: WWJD. What would Jeb do!"

Not exactly a ringing self-endorsement — particularly if you happen to be running against Jeb Bush.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up