maybe, too close.
Marco Rubio Stands By His Friend But At What Cost?
From his first days on the political scene, Sen. Marco Rubio has never strayed far from his close friend, Rep. David Rivera. The men first met while volunteering for then Florida State Senator Lincoln Diaz-Balarts first congressional campaign in 1992. A few years later, Rivera hired Rubio out of law school in Miami to work on Bob Doles doomed presidential bid.
By 2002, they were colleagues in the Florida state house and when Rubio was elected speaker in 2006, Rivera took up as his top lieutenant. They rode into Washington together on the crest of a powerful GOP midterm wave in 2010, Rubio as a senator, Rivera as the new house representative from Floridas 25th district.
Today, Rubio is one of the Republicans partys most buzzed-about young stars and an early favorite to run alongside presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in the coming general election. Despite repeated statements that he wont be the vice president, operatives in both parties told ABC News they believe Rubio is seeking the bid.
He wants it, one Democratic strategist said. He can say what he wants, but hes doing all the things that people who want to be the running mate do. Hes going to South Carolina [to speak before state party bigwigs at their annual Silver Elephant dinner] and working on some Republican version of the Dream Act.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/04/marco-rubio-stands-by-his-friend-but-at-what-cost/