I loved the speech Cruz delivered to the RNC in Cleveland. At least I want to love it. Leon gave a good overview of what Cruz said and the stylistic improvements Cruz has made since leaving the campaign trail.

I couldn’t fully embrace the speech because, despite those who say Cruz didn’t endorse, this speech was a capitulation to the party and Trump.

I hear the klickity clack of the keyboard warriors, on both sides, filling up my mentions already. Many will say Cruz is a traitor to Trump, many others will say Cruz was really sticking a knife into the cheetos jesus.

In my view, he did neither, instead opting to be red hot on principles only to douse the flame with his lukewarm quasi non-endorsement endorsement.

This goes back to the root of the problem with the Cruz campaign, the fatal conceit that they could simultaneously be the most principled campaign in the history of the Republic while also claiming that a left wing donor to Hillary Clinton is terrific and acceptable to conservative and republican voters.

For the love of all that is good and righteous, Ted, stop hedging!

Now, I know many of you will think I am overreacting, and many will claim that I say this for this failed candidate or that failed candidate, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I want Cruz to be a better candidate. I want him to win. I want him to lead a conservative resurgence in this country. It’s just that I think he is incapable of doing that so long as he continues to bend his own principles for Donald J. Trump and a GOP that betrayed him and his cause at every opportunity.

So lets go through a few of the speech highlights as tweeted by Ted Cruz:

Just like each and every one of you, I want to see the principles in which we believe prevail in November #RNCinCLE

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 21, 2016

Heck yeah, I like the way this starts!

We're fighting not for one particular candidate or campaign, but for our kids' future and for our country #RNCinCLE

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 21, 2016

Ok, I am still with you, but you are kinda riding the line and have me worried.

There is a profound difference between our two parties' vision for the future #RNCinCLE

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 21, 2016

Ah … Crap! He is setting up and justifying the binary choice between parties.

I am here to tell you there is a better vision for our future: a return to freedom. #RNCinCLE

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 21, 2016

Oh, hey … that’s better.

Hillary Clinton believes govt should make virtually every choice in your life, but voters are overwhelmingly rejecting big govt #RNCinCLE

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 21, 2016

Yeah!! *waves Gadsden flag*

If we stand together and choose freedom, our future will be brighter. We can do this. #RNCinCLE

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 21, 2016

OMG YES!! KEEP GOING!!

To those listening, please don't stay home in November. If you love our country, stand and speak and vote your conscience #RNCinCLE

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 21, 2016

Wait … what? I feel like I just got told the girl I was making out with is a first cousin.

I mean, what the hell? Don’t stay home. Vote your conscience?

Unless Ted Cruz is about to announce his support for an independent bid, after making the binary case between the GOP and the DNC, that’s an implicit endorsement.

Hopefully I am wrong, but Cruz hedging just now only serves to confirm every preconceived notion about him to those who hold those notions. I’ll just note that this just makes it twice as hard for a guy like me to make the case for principle and conservatism when all those outside the choir see is the most principled man in politics balance on a fence post for 12 long and painful months.