WASHINGTON — “I am now the proud owner of the most famous bottle of water in American politics,” Todd Harris, Marco Rubio’s political adviser and spinmeister Tweeted in the early morning hours of Wednesday.

It was the Rubio camp’s spin on an avalanche of Tweets in response to the Republican senator’s response to the State of the Union address, a partly successful attempt to laugh off the sip seen ‘round the world.

Rubio’s water-bottle-gate moment set political gossips atwitter, but seems unlikely to have much shelf life. It did at least distract momentarily from the Florida senator’s moment as the Republican pitchman.

Rubio’s sober message about the national debt was nearly lost in the clutter when the senator interrupted an otherwise confident-sounding rebuttal speech by reaching well off camera to grab a water bottle and take an audible gulp. It was not the smooth delivery TV viewers have come to expect.

Rubio, a savvy Tweeter, took part in the fun by sending off a picture of the Poland Spring bottle and labeling it the Republican response.

“Great move by Rubio to show he’s got a sense of humor,” one Tweeted.

Others were not so kind.

“I don’t always drink water, but when I do, I prefer to be awkward,” said one Tweet.

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