Rubio’s SOTU advice: Drink lots of water

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) poked fun at himself while offering some advice to Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who will deliver the Republican response to President Obama’s State of the Union next week.

Rubio congratulated the freshman Republican lawmaker for being selected to deliver the high-profile address and invoked his famously awkward pause when delivering the 2013 response to encourage Ernst to drink some water beforehand.

Congrats to @joniernst chosen to give #GOP response to #SOTU. You will do great. Only advice is have… http://t.co/dLeg6Q3gZt

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 15, 2015

When delivering the GOP response two years ago, an apparently dry-throated Rubio paused to grab a quick gulp from a tiny plastic bottle of Poland Spring water. 

{mosads}Rubio has repeatedly made fun of the viral moment, and his PAC even sold refillable water bottles emblazoned with his name.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced Thursday during the GOP retreat in Hershey, Pa., that Ernst would deliver the Republican rebuttal.

Ernst is the first woman elected to Congress from Iowa. She rose to national fame during last year’s election after appearing in an ad touting her experience castrating hogs while growing up on a farm in Iowa.