Donald Trump says that he and Ted Cruz have very similar views.  But when pressed, he says there are some differences – like the fact that he, Donald Trump, has a much better temperament to be president than Ted Cruz.

In some ways this is laughable, but in other ways it is very true.  Let's look at both sides of the issue.

We need a president who is going to be aggressive with our enemies outside the country and our political adversaries inside the country.  Until a few weeks ago, Ted Cruz was certainly a thorn in the side of the Senate establishment, but rhetorically he was very low-key.  He's been in the Senate for three years, but only recently has he called out Mitch McConnell for collaborating with Obama and the Democrats.  For years I have watched him say things like, "Leadership promises me they will fight next time, and I take them at their word."  Only recently has he called Mitch McConnell a liar (which he is).

Interviewed by illegal alien radical advocate Jorge Ramos, Cruz made his conservative points, but in a low-key, soft, almost apologetic tone.  When asked about so called "transgendered" in the military, he said only that the military shouldn't be a "cauldron of social experiments."

Zzzzzzz....

All this has changed in recent weeks as his rhetoric, volume, and even tone of voice have changed.  Now he thunders about the need to shut down useless departments of the government and to carpet-bomb ISIS (I hope using the term "carpet" in reference to the Middle East is not racist!). 

But in the thundering department, Donald Trump has Cruz beaten hands down.  He made it acceptable to talk about deporting illegal aliens.  He was the first to call for a temporary ban on Muslim immigration.  He's not afraid to take on any issue (except perhaps big bloated agri-corps who want ethanol mandates).  When the media attacks him, he bites back.  Articles have actually been written stating that GOP establishment billionaires are afraid to attack Trump for fear he will attack back!  He has single-handedly taken down Jeb Bush, for which he deserves tremendous gratitude, and he is starting in on Hillary Clinton in a great way, calling her tired and weak.  (Compare that to Mitt Romney, who was afraid to say anything about Obama.)

Trump's much more of a fighter, even than Ted Cruz, and we need a fighter.

But on the other hand, Ted Cruz is much more balanced.  He doesn't pick enemies needlessly.  Every word is measured and considered, which can be viewed as timid or thought-out, depending on your perspective.

Donald Trump is like a Terminator with no friend-or-foe sensor.  He called Megyn Kelly a bimbo.  I winced when he said that Ben Carson, a thoroughly decent man, has "pathological illness" when Carson was referring to his youthful violent nature.  Trump made a nasty swipe at Ted Cruz's religion by saying "not many evangelicals come out of Cuba."  He told a Jewish group that they wouldn't vote for him because they wanted a candidate they could control with their money.  He wants to ban all Muslim immigrants for a time (which I support), but a much less incendiary way of doing it is to ban immigrants from ISIS-infested countries, as Cruz wants to do.  Trump gets offended very easily and is quick to insult others and get angry.  Not the best trait for the president of the United States, who may need to build alliances and bring people along.

So Trump has more of the aggressiveness we need, but maybe he is too aggressive in some ways.  Ted Cruz is a little more cautious than I might like, but with few unnecessary and even puzzling outbursts.

What do you think? Do you agree with Donald Trump's comment that he has the best temperament to be president?

This article was written by Ed Straker, senior writer of NewsMachete.com, the conservative news site.