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The end is near…in more ways than one.

As I said before Super Tuesday, Donald Trump is very likely to win the nomination outright.  I still believe this; the numbers, and momentum, all point to him reaching 1237 delegates, and avoiding a floor fight at the Convention in Cleveland.

That said, it is not an absolute certainty.

The anti-Trump forces for the better part of a year have been confused, disunited, and remain so to this day, even at this late hour. Even when leading voices like Mitt Romney stand up and take a stand, the remnants of the conservative movement can’t decide if they want to follow.  The Trump opposition has been worse than herding cats.  If there are any hopes of derailing the Trump train, a few things must happen, and quickly.

First and foremost, Cruz must help Rubio with an exit strategy.

I know. Many Cruz fans feel that Rubio should do this of his own accord; and I don’t necessarily disagree.

But this entire process of uniting anti-Trump forces demands that someone elevate above the field at large, and lead the movement. To lead, you must show the ability to bring people together, be magnanimous, and sometimes go out of your way to show gratitude, even if your opponents don’t necessarily deserve it.

In short…Ted Cruz needs to grow as a person, and become the leader we pray he can be.

Cruz has many great attributes. He is brilliant, as well learned as anyone in America, a true intellectual and a hard-core conservative. But even with all these great personal attributes, his lack of close personal connections is quite clearly one of his weaknesses. This, however, is his moment to show he can grow beyond the man he already is. Cruz could be the bridge for Rubio to join a common alliance to work against Trump.  The way to do that is to form an emotional and personal attachment with Rubio, no matter how difficult that process may be.

I believe Rubio should leave the race, regardless of what Cruz does. His path has now evaporated. Chances of him winning Florida are well within the ‘Hail Mary’ region of expectations. Any momentum that he had after Iowa has all but disappeared. Finishing fourth in states like Michigan and Mississippi to Kasich, of all people, shows that this campaign is on life support.

But Cruz wants to be the leader of the conservative movement, and the nominee of the Republican Party. Intelligence and superior policy initiatives alone doesn’t achieve that. Ultimately, you must show that you are the person that conservatives want to fight for, because you are a leader that rises above the fray, and can ignore the political infighting in order to elevate the movement.

This is Cruz’s moment.

Secondly, Cruz and his anti-Trump movement must coalesce behind a common strategy to fight Trump on all fronts. Sean Davis and Erick Erickson have both laid out the strategy in one form or another. Here from Erickson:

So let me paint a picture for you.

We know in the stand alone races, Cruz beats Trump. We know that according to Rule 40 of the Republican Party, any person to stand for nomination for President has to have won the majority of delegates in eight states. Cruz has won three with that criteria and would have won more but for Rubio in the race. If Rubio could even win Florida, he would still struggle. Same with Kasich.

So instead, Rubio drops out and Cruz publicly declares Rubio is his running mate. They barnstorm the nation today with Rubio throwing the punches at Trump and Cruz talking about their vision for the future. They crisscross Florida raising voter awareness that voters need to vote for Cruz. They go to Missouri, North Carolina, etc.

Once they get through March 15th barnstorming the country together, they divide up the states with Rubio going as Cruz’s surrogate. Rubio hits New England. Cruz goes elsewhere. They have some joint events together.

Doing so shifts the conversation. Doing so forces voters to pay attention to the changed dynamic. And they head to Cleveland with either 1237 delegates for Cruz or at least more than Trump. It gives them a head start on having a general election ticket, which gives them an advantage over the Democrats.

In the process they unite the party. In the process they beat Trump. In the process they unite the party. In the process they start making the case against Hillary.

I don’t know if Rubio necessarily has to be named VP or not. But I do know that Cruz must make use of Rubio. Cruz alone cannot defeat Trump; that has become quite clear. Cruz has great difficulty in expanding the base, not only because of his record, but because of his personality. Many Cruz fans have a hard time accepting that Cruz’s demeanor, speaking style, and substance turn off many moderate Republicans in places like the Midwest, the East, and California.

Enter Rubio. Rubio has not been able to connect to base conservative voters for many reasons. But he can, and has, successfully connected with these suburban moderate Republicans. In many respects, Cruz and Rubio put together are the ideal Republican candidate. Can a tag-team achieve the results that neither alone could achieve?

A one-two punch of Rubio and Cruz barnstorming the country puts Trump on the defensive; they can cover more ground, they can target different demographics, and if smart, can target different states all together. And maybe more importantly, it instantly changes the narrative. The media will have to transition from “Trump the inevitable’ to ‘The Conservatives Unite”.

Finally, the obvious: Cruz needs a bridge to the establishment, and Rubio likely is that bridge. Cruz’s hope, time and again, is that groups that he wants to support him would magically coalesce behind him at some point. He believed that with the conservative base, the evangelicals, and now the establishment. At each turn, this has failed as a strategy. He must alter his tactical thinking if he wants to win this campaign.

Cruz has the opportunity here to make a peace-offering to the establishment. It costs Cruz nothing; if he loses, what has he lost? If he wins, and Rubio is his running mate…well, honestly, Cruz could do a lot worse.

That said…all of this is a long shot. I still believe Trump will be the nominee. But if the conservative base, and the establishment, truly believe in #NeverTrump, this is the moment of our choosing. As Benjamin Franklin famously said, “We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”

It is time to unite. It is a time for choosing.