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 Rubio squeaked by rival and U.S. Senate colleague Ted Cruz in a
vote on Saturday that cemented the appeal of firebrand outsider
Trump as well as the failure of a candidate from one of America's
political dynasties: Jeb Bush.
The five remaining Republican candidates are now scrambling for
voters in 12 states that hold nominating contests on March 1, also
known as Super Tuesday, the next milestone on the road to the Nov. 8
presidential election.
Rubio, a first-term senator from Florida who himself has come under
attack for lacking governing experience, turned that criticism on
Trump, a billionaire businessman and former reality TV star who has
never held elective office.
Trump is long on rhetoric but short on specifics, Rubio said on
CBS's "Face the Nation," challenging the front-runner, who finished
10 points ahead in South Carolina, to provide them.
"If you're running to be president of the United States, you can't
just tell people you're going to make America great again - I think
you need to begin to explain exactly how you're going to do it,
policy-wise," Rubio said, referring to the Trump campaign slogan
"Make America Great Again!"
 Rubio criticized Trump on healthcare policy and said he found his
view of Russian leader Vladimir Putin troubling.
"I don't think he fundamentally understands exactly who Vladimir
Putin is and or exactly what he's trying to do," Rubio said, quickly
adding, "This is not an attack or anything of that nature."
In several television appearances, Rubio stressed his intention was
not to "go after" Trump but to discuss issues.
Rubio has reason to be skittish. A hallmark of Trump's campaign has
been consistent and highly personal savaging of his political rivals
- or anyone else he perceives has attacked him, including a milder
rebuke of Pope Francis. His most notable target was Bush, whom he
began characterizing early on as a "low-energy" loser.
In television appearances on Sunday, Trump appeared
uncharacteristically modest and took pains to lower expectations
that his path to the Republican nomination was now clear.
He responded to Rubio's criticism without attacking Rubio himself,
saying on CBS that he had "great knowledge" of foreign policy.
Cruz, who had expected his appeal to conservative and evangelical
voters to give him an edge in South Carolina, said he was the only
candidate who has beaten and could beat Trump. 'A REAL
CONSERVATIVE'
Cruz told NBC's "Meet the Press" he expects conservatives to rally
behind him in his home state of Texas and other contests on Super
Tuesday, which include Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia,
Arkansas and Oklahoma. The next Republican contest is on Tuesday in
Nevada, where Trump is the runaway favorite.
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Cruz said Trump has embraced liberal ideas, including abortion
rights and requiring healthcare coverage, as well as liberal
politicians, including Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary
Clinton.
"Republicans want a real conservative," Cruz said on ABC's "This
Week."
Cruz and Rubio tried to draw voters away from Trump, a political
outsider who has bucked the Republican Party establishment and
caught its leaders off guard.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus struggled to
explain Trump's appeal when asked on ABC's "This Week," if the South
Carolina result was a rebuke to the party.
"No, I don't think so," Preibus replied, saying he believed voters
are sick and tired of politics in general. "But who the nominee is
going to be is not my choice and - and obviously, uh, we're going to
support whoever that is."
Trump on Sunday looked to just that possibility. He said he believed
Clinton, who is competing with Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont,
would be the eventual Democratic nominee and said he was the only
Republican who could win states like New York and Michigan, which
lean Democratic.
"I will win states that aren't in play. I will win states that the
Republicans don't even think of," he said on CNN's "State of the
Union."
Those sweeping predictions aside, Trump tried to contain
expectations in several television appearances. He called both Rubio
and Cruz talented men who could conceivably beat him for the
nomination, along with the remaining Republican candidates: Ohio
Governor John Kasich and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.
He then quipped, "You know, crazy things happen in the world of
politics."
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Additional reporting by Megan Cassella;
Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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