We hear that Secretary Julián Castro tops Hillary Clinton's list for VP in 2016.

Enter Mark Halperin and Senator Cruz.

Some in the media are really getting desperate or silly.  How else can you explain Mr. Halperin's interview of Senator Cruz?

Mr. Halperin spent some time asking questions about Cuban music, singers, and food.  It was ridiculous.  It was also hypocritical, because Mr. Halperin would never do that to a Hispanic Democrat.

As Ruben Navarrette wrote:

You know who, by their own admission, don't speak espanol well? Housing Secretary Julian Castro and his twin brother, Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, both friends of mine. You could bet Halperin would never put those questions to the Castros because, as Democrats, they're assumed to be closer to the masses than Cruz is.

I kept thinking to myself: "What if, instead of watching a Washington insider who is also an MSNBC contributor, I was watching Fox News' Bill O'Reilly demand that one of the Castros say a few words in Spanish so O'Reilly could determine if he is legitimately Hispanic?"

The left would go apoplectic. They'd call O'Reilly a racist, and they'd be right. In this case, the Hispanic advocacy groups didn't say anything.

And that's the point.  Halperin targeted Cruz and would never dare do the same thing to a Democrat, even one who does not speak Spanish.

Can you imagine a Halperin-Castro interview that goes like this:

Halperin: Mr Castro, you don't speak Spanish.  Are you taking some lessons?  How do you expect to talk to Jorge Ramos?  By the way, do you eat huevos rancheros for breakfast?  Isn't that what Mexicans do?

There are two other issues here:

1) We live in the U.S., and our candidates should not be expected to speak their parents' language, whether they are Irish, Polish, or Cuban.  In other words, no U.S. citizen should be forced to prove his ethnicity by speaking whatever the language is.

2) Who cares what Cuban music Senator Cruz listens to, anyway?  How relevant is that to the 2016 presidential campaign?  Can someone explain that to me?

I don't know how many people watch Mr. Halperin on TV.  My guess is that he'd get a few more if he treated conservatives with more respect.

P.S. You can hear my show  (CantoTalk) or follow me on Twitter.