“I take it you didn’t read my original post where I said the photo ad was from a SuperPac, not the Cruz campaign. But Cruz never disavowed it, said it was in bad taste, or ask for it to be taken down.”
Cruz cannot coordinate with a (Romney-led) PAC and ask that they take something down. What he did was:
The same day as Trump said, “Lyin’ Ted Cruz just used a picture of Melania from a G.Q. shoot in his ad. Be careful, Lyin’ Ted, or I will spill the beans on your wife!” Cruz said, “”Pic of your wife not from us. Donald, if you try to attack Heidi, you’re more of a coward than I thought.”
The following day, Trump tweeted the ugly photo of Heidi, and Cruz responded, “Donald, real men don’t attack women. Your wife is lovely, and Heidi is the love of my life.” I think that’s a nice way of rejecting the GQ ad without any hint of prohibited coordination.
Mostly though, Cruz followed the advice that all political consultants and campaign managers give: “stay on message”. I think what Cruz did was all that was required - keeping in mind that he is legally prohibited from any actions that would qualify as coordination with a PAC.
There is a reason why so many of Cruz's colleagues have come out against him, before and now. Romney and Cruz are both insiders, and both have proven this election year that they are not driven by principle. Cruz is certainly capable of coordinating attacks on his opponents, and borrowing a page from the Clinton playbook that facilitates deniability.
Cruz cannot coordinate with a (Romney-led) PAC and ask that they take something down. What he did was:
Once again, as I’ve said several times, I know it was a SuperPac and not under his control. But he could most certainly say this was despicable bringing wive’s into the campaign, and ask that that whoever posted it, take it down.
Just asking for someone to take an ad down is not ‘coordination’.
Cruz could have ask them to take it down. Trump could have ask. You could ask them, or I could have ask them.
Asking someone to do something does not indicate a measure of control.
I’d be willing to bet that if Cruz had done this immediately, Trump would not have responded as he did.