Shields: Trump ‘Shrewd’ for Putting Cruz ‘on the Defensive of Trying to Prove a Negative’

WOODRUFF: “Well, where is that — where does that translate into, though, Mark? Where does that leave this race? Does it mean it’s down to Donald Trump and Ted Cruz?”

SHIELDS: “Well, all the numbers in Iowa suggests it’s the two of them, and with Marco Rubio nipping at the heels and Ben Carson sort of fading in fourth or somewhere. As an example of Trump, let me just give you what I thought was — it was a brilliant formulation he did on the birther issue. He did the birther issue against President Obama, you will recall. He had his people in Hawaii who had uncovered all of this information, which turned out to be totally bogus, as so much of the charges and allegations always have been. But what he did with Cruz was — on the birther issue wasn’t that he was born in Calgary, in Alberta, Canada, but that he’s putting the party at risk by opening himself up to a legal suit. And –“

WOODRUFF: “And, if I made him my vice presidential –“ [Crosstalk]

SHIELDS: “Yes, even if I made him my vice president. So, all of a sudden, he puts Cruz on the defensive of trying to prove a negative. It really is — it’s shrewd. At the same time, Judy, I do want to give a shout-out, quite bluntly, to Jeb Bush. He demonstrated character. He’s demonstrated character on the issue. And the Republicans, to a man, without Jeb Bush and without Lindsey Graham no longer in the race, and with the possible exception of John Kasich, quite frankly, but they were anti-Muslim. I mean, they were bigoted and narrow-minded and intolerant.”

WOODRUFF: “When they were asked, would you keep Muslims out of the country?” [Crosstalk]

SHIELDS: “And Jeb Bush pointed out, well, you are talking about Indonesia, you are talking about India, you are talking about the Kurds, you are talking about our friends. I mean, this is an absolutely irrational policy. But, you know, but he stood alone, with the possible exception of Kasich.”