Sen. Marco Rubio

Sen. Marco Rubio

Speaking with radio host Hugh Hewitt Tuesday, Rubio said the Senate should “strengthen the border security parts of this bill so that they’re stronger, so that they don’t give overwhelming discretion to the Department of Homeland Security.” He said he was working with other senators on amendments to do just that. Then Hewitt asked: “If those amendments don’t pass, will you yourself support the bill that emerged from Judiciary, Senator Rubio?” Rubio answered, “Well, I think if those amendments don’t pass, then I think we’ve got a bill that isn’t going to become law, and I think we’re wasting our time. So the answer is no.”

Surprise! Gangster of eight Sen. Marco Rubio is talking about walking away from the immigration reform bill he helped shape:Democrats have already allowed Republicans to amend the bill, while backing off on an amendment that would have helped same-sex couples stay together. And Republicans still want more . Now Rubio is once again playing to the far right by threatening to walk if Republican demands aren't met. At the same time, House Republicans look likely to refuse any immigration bill containing a path to citizenship.

But as Markos has written, "Republicans aren't engaging on immigration reform out of the goodness of their hearts." The future of their party depends on improving their standing with Latino and Asian voters, and killing an immigration reform bill negotiated by four Republicans and four Democrats and subsequently weakened by Republicans is not the way to do that. Marco Rubio knows that, but apparently it's not enough to get him to consistently stand up to far-right primary voters.