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Rubio won't bite on Romney VP speculation

(CBS News) Florida Sen. Marco Rubio stayed silent on speculation surrounding his possible candidacy for the vice presidency as a running mate to presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney in an interview on "CBS This Morning" Wednesday.

"I've made a decision a long time ago not to discuss the process. That's not going to change today. I respect the process that Gov. Romney's going through," he told Charlie Rose.

"I'm pretty confident he's going to make an excellent choice. I think those of us involved in politics and supportive of him should give him the space to do that that. That's the decision I made a while back to just not comment on the process. But I knew you'd ask," Rubio said.

Rubio has a new memoir to sell, "An American Son."

Sources: Rubio a long shot for Romney VP slot

Watch: CBS News political director John Dickerson on GOP veepstakes

The Cuban-American senator was also asked about Gov. Romney's silence on a recent decision from President Obama not to deport thousands of young immigrants who meet certain conditions.

Rubio said he has not spoken to Romney since Mr. Obama last week announced the new policy, which bypasses Congress.

"These are young people who came when they're 5 years old, lived here their whole life, valedictorians of their school? It doesn't seem right to deport them. There needs to be a long-term solution," Rubio said, noting that he is working on legislation that would accomplish many of the same goals.

Rubio criticized Mr. Obama's decision as election-year politics, even as he touted the merits of the policy.

"I know it is going to be welcome news for these kids desperate for a solution," he said, adding that the direct move takes away any sense of urgency in Congress to do it in a more comprehensive way.

"There needs to be a long-term solution. We're going to continue to work on this. I think it is going to make it harder to do it before the election because we've lost some of the sense of urgency," he said.

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