It started out fine.
Marco Rubio, looking well-kempt in a suit and blue tie, steadily delivered the Republican response to President Obama's State of the Union address.
He insisted that a strong middle class was driven by a "vibrant free economy" and not by Washington.
He touched on Obama's Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare was supposed to help middle class Americans afford health insurance..."). He touched on immigration (..."we must follow through on the broken promises of the past to secure our borders and enforce our laws."). He made it through education, student loans, Medicare and the economy. But then it appeared he got thirsty.
"The choice isn't just between big government or big business," Rubio began.
Suddenly, he lurched forward to grab a drink of water, took an audible gulp, returned the small Poland Spring bottle to a table and continued with his speech.
"What we need is an accountable, efficient and effective government that allows small and new businesses to create middle class jobs," he said.
The gesture baffled commentators, from social media personalities to MSNBC's Rachel Maddow.
Many went on to create GIFs, create a @thirstyrubio Twitter account and tweet their wittiest responses to the reach that would be forever preserved in slow-motion graphics.
Photo Credit: NBCNews.com