Sen. Ted Cruz was utterly speechless on the day after the State of the Union — not because he didn’t have anything to add to the rhetorical cacophony in the Capitol. The guy just plain lost his voice.

Huffington Post senior political reporter Jon Ward directly experienced the silent treatment when he approached the Texas Republican for comment. “Just tried to ask Ted Cruz a question. He showed me a note saying he has a ‘nasty cold’ and has lost his voice ‘entirely,’” the veteran political scribe
broadcast
to the Twittersphere.

A Cruz aide confirmed that the boss was, in fact, feeling out of sorts.

“He has a cold and lost his voice, not much more to it. We expect and hope his voice returns soon!” the staffer told HOH.

Some fellow reporters wondered whether the tight-lipped Cruz was just finding a more creative way of avoiding questions from reporters in the halls of the Capitol. Since joining the Senate last month, Cruz has been a difficult interview for many journalists, given that he generally directs reporters to his staff rather than answering questions off the cuff in the style of most other senators.

“He’s the new Al Franken,” a fellow hack said, equating Cruz to the proudly national-media-averse Minnesota Democrat.