Panic!! Politico reports this morning early that today Jeb Bush will endorse Ted Cruz for President.

In a surprise announcement, Jeb Bush will endorse Ted Cruz on Wednesday as an antidote to the “divisiveness and vulgarity” of Donald Trump, providing a badly needed boost to the Texas senator – but it’s one that comes dangerously late in a game that Trump is dominating.

Politico also has part of the statement that will be released Wednesday by the Cruz campaign:

“Ted is a consistent, principled conservative who has demonstrated the ability to appeal to voters and win primary contests.

“For the sake of our party and country, we must move to overcome the divisiveness and vulgarity Donald Trump has brought into the political arena, or we will certainly lose our chance to defeat the Democratic nominee and reverse President Obama’s failed policies.”

With the endorsement will come Bush’s “active” support, although how that plays out remains to be seen.

But seriously: at an earlier point in this primary a Bush blessing could be viewed as a kiss of death, but in this race to the finish it can’t hurt any more than it can help. Cruz needs the party, he needs Rubio’s disillusioned voters, and he needs the donors. Bush is a door to that. The downside of this big step from the establishment is minimal with so few candidates remaining and Trump barreling ahead.

Politico has a lot more on the endorsement, including the implications for Gov. Kasich.

Ted Cruz adds to Bush’s statement:

“I’m truly honored to earn Governor Jeb Bush’s support … Governor Bush was an extraordinary governor of Florida, and his record of job creation and education innovation left a lasting legacy for millions of Floridians.

“His endorsement today is further evidence that Republicans are continuing to unite behind our campaign to nominate a proven conservative to defeat Hillary Clinton in November, take back the White House, and ensure a freer and more prosperous America for future generations.”

Now, although it would be absurd to conclude that this means Cruz has been an establishment insider all along, expect to hear exactly that dumb theory from Trump loyalists and some other folks who shall remain nameless. They will howl and moan and make lots of noise on social media, but the idea that Bush would not endorse when the bigwigs on the right are doing everything they can to stop Trump is just silly, fanciful thinking. The party is dividing into two camps, and those camps are not defined by establishment vs. not-establishment. They are pro-Trump and anti-Trump.

Jeb is merely siding with anti-Trump. Which is really the only sensible thing to do.