Roberts: Jeff Flake ... for president?

Sen. Jeff Flake’s open-mic comments about the Republican Party’s prospects were national news over the weekend.

Here’s Fortune: Caught on a Hot Mic, Republican Senator Says His Party Is ‘Toast’ If Donald Trump and Roy Moore Define It

Here’s The Washington Post: Sen. Flake says GOP is ‘toast’ if it follows Trump-Moore

Let’s hear from ABC: Arizona senator calls GOP ‘toast’ on open mic

My thoughts: Well, duh.

'Toast' comment wasn't the story here

Flake wrote an entire book last summer pleading with his fellow Republicans not to follow Donald Trump down the rabbit hole. He stood on the Senate floor last month and warned about the danger of “indulging or even exalting our worst impulses.”

As for Moore, a guy who’s been accused of molesting teenage girls … Is anyone – outside of Alabama, that is – going to actually suggest that this guy is a Republican Party role model?

Far more interesting – to me, at least – was the open mic response to Flake when ABC15 picked his comments. Specifically, Mesa Mayor John Giles' response.

“You are the guy," Giles said. "Just for fun, think about how much fun it would be just to be the foil, you know, and point out what an idiot this guy is,” Mesa Mayor John Giles replied.

Giles seemed to be suggesting that Flake run against Trump.

It’s an intriguing idea.

What if Flake did run for president?

Flake has shown himself to be the type of politician who is both unusual and admirable. One willing to draw a line over which he will not cross. 

He is that rare politician of principle who declines to do anything and say anything if only he can be re-elected. One known for possessing a strong spine rather than a shiny set of brass -- or more likely solid gold -- knuckles.

Someday, the Republican Party faithful will wake up from our present insanity and see Donald Trump for who and what he is. Someday, they will once against discern the difference between that which is true and that which is fake.

MONTINI:Flake says the Republican Party is 'toast'

One day, our long national temper tantrum will be over.

Then maybe they’ll take a second look at Jeff Flake, a traditional, libertarian-leaning conservative Republican who never got in step with the party of Trump. Never went along to get along with a president who takes on any who dare cross him, who makes our allies cringe and white supremacists cheer and the nation reel, one tweet at a time.

Flake for president in 2020? I’d like to see that race.

Talk about a study in contrasts

Consider the contrasts:

Here is Flake, from his speech announcing that he wouldn’t run again because his brand of Republicanism is now unacceptable:

"We must never regard as 'normal' the regular and casual undermining of our democratic norms and ideals. We must never meekly accept the daily sundering of our country -- the personal attacks, the threats against principles, freedoms, and institutions, the flagrant disregard for truth or decency, the reckless provocations, most often for the pettiest and most personal reasons, reasons having nothing whatsoever to do with the fortunes of the people that we have all been elected to serve."

And here’s Trump, in between his blasts to the father of an NBA basketball player, over the weekend:

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