Donald Trump is currently sucking all the oxygen out of the room of Republican candidates. Even though it appears that The Donald’s first place poll numbers are dropping after he dared touch the third rail of John McCain’s war record, he still commands an impressive 19% support in the Republican field, two points ahead of second place Scott Walker. Trump’s popularity is not due to his policies (with the exception of illegal immigration, what other policies does he support?) rather, it’s because of the perception that he is “fearless” and an “anti-politician.”

But while Trump himself has speculated that “Maybe people will get tired of me — who knows?” there is another candidate who has demonstrated fearlessness — only in a less flamboyant manner — and that is Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.

On Friday, Cruz stood on the Senate floor and threw down the gauntlet to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell by basically calling him a liar.

He accused McConnell of repeatedly undermining the Senate Republicans. First, McConnell claimed that there was no secret deal with Democrats to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank in order to pass Obamatrade, when he actually secured a deal with one of the most liberal Senators, Patty Murray of Washington.  Furthermore, while the Senate reviewed the Iran nuclear deal, and Senator Marco Rubio put forth an amendment requiring Iran to recognize Israel before removing sanctions, McConnell cut off all amendments as a sop to the Democrats, who wanted no such amendment. McConnell also in 2014 helped to pass the $1 trillion Cromnibus bill loaded with pork and corporate welfare. He was at the helm when the Republican Senate funded Obama’s executive amnesty and Obamacare, and voted to confirm Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

Cruz blasted McConnell:

The Majority Leader doesn’t want to vote on that because he doesn’t want to end the cronyism for members of Congress any more than end the cronyism for giant corporations who enrich themselves at the expense of the American people. . . . . They want other things. They have other priorities, but those are not the priorities of Republican leadership. Sadly today we have government of the lobbyists, by the lobbyists, and for the lobbyists. That is not how the United States Senate is supposed to operate. A far more important amendment than bringing back this corporate welfare and cronyism is my amendment that provides that sanctions on Iran cannot be lifted unless and until Iran does two things. Number one, it recognizes Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. And number two, it releases the four American hostages languishing in Iranian prisons. That is a far more important issue than enriching some more lobbyists on K Street and getting a few more campaign contributions. That’s what we should be voting on.

Here is Senator Cruz on the Senate floor. He is magnificent:

Conservative Republicans have been longing for another Reagan. They want someone who has come from humble beginnings, who cherishes the same traditions and values that they do, who will honor the Constitution and stand strong for all the heritage which made America great. In my opinion, that man is not Donald Trump. But it just might be Ted Cruz.