The Final Nine, Nine, Nine

Former GOP presidential nominee Herman Cain has succumbed to COVID-19 after being hospitalized for the entire month of July.

Herman Cain, a former presidential hopeful who was once considered by President Donald Trump for the Federal Reserve, has died after being hospitalized with the coronavirus. He was 74.

Cain’s death was announced Thursday on his website by Dan Calabrese, who edits the site and had previously written about his colleague’s diagnosis.

“Herman Cain – our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us – has passed away,” Calabrese said in the blog post. “We all prayed so hard every day. We knew the time would come when the Lord would call him home, but we really liked having him here with us, and we held out hope he’d have a full recovery.”

Cain was among the highest-profile public figures in the United States to have died from Covid-19. Less than two weeks before receiving his diagnosis, Cain had attended Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Cain had been a business executive and board chairman of a branch of Kansas City’s Federal Reserve Bank before moving into Republican politics and eventually becoming a presidential candidate.

Last year, Trump briefly considered picking Cain as his nominee to join the Federal Reserve Board. Cain remained a vocal supporter of Trump’s after his nomination was withdrawn.

Cain had been hospitalized in Atlanta on July 1, two days after being told he had tested positive for Covid-19, according to a statement posted to his social media accounts at the time.

He did not require a respirator and was “awake and alert” when he checked in to the hospital, the statement said. “Please join with us in praying for Mr. Cain, and for everyone who has contracted the coronavirus – as well as their families,” it said.

Cain tweeted a photograph of himself at Trump’s rally showing him surrounded by other attendees, none of whom appeared to be wearing masks or other protective gear.

I'm not noting this because Cain was a particularly great figure, he was a con man and cultist just like the rest of the GOP, Clarence Thomas without the robes.

I'm noting this because Donald Trump killed him.

Herman Cain didn't have to die.

153,000 Americans didn't have to die.

4.5 million Americans didn't have to get sick.

More are dying every day.

And it's only going to get worse this fall.

Last Call

In probably the greatest black culture smash hit since Homeboys in Outer Space, former Ohio GOP Secretary of State Ken "Voting Machine Integrity" Blackwell and former Clown Car Cavalcade contestant Herman "Dressed to the Nines" Cain want you to know how Republicans are working to protect the African-American vote. You know, by protecting voting precincts from African-American voters actually voting in them. Or something. Jim Newell at Wonkette is nicer than I am:

Herman Cain and Ken Blackwell, the former Ohio secretary of state who STOLE THE 2004 ELECTION WITH MACHINES, have teamed up to produce this video about the Right to Vote. They do so by criticizing the Justice Department’s attempts to ensure black people can vote in the face of new laws that are clearly trying to suppress black turnout. And how could DoJ also refuse to pursue the New Black Panther Party scandal? Herman Cain and Ken Blackwell would have pursued it, for civil rights.

Me, I couldn't resist the whole Mantan/Hollywood Shuffle angle, but then again that's probably why I'm a blogger as a hobby and not getting paid for it professionally.

Seriously, folks. Ken Blackwell talking about protecting the black vote is pretty much the equivalent of Gargamel explaining how all the Smurfs will be much safer and will be free from the sorrows of fungus-based housing if he just cages them, removes their skins, and uses them to make gold out of lead. Blackwell invented digital vote swiping and as both Secretary of State in charge of the election process WHILE STILL DUBYA'S STATE CAMPAIGN CHAIR, he sure did a great job of disenfranchising a whole hell of a lot of African-Americans in 2004 to give the state and the country to Bush. Look where THAT got us, right? Here's the video if you want a chuckle.



Me, I'm going to be over here, so completely outraged that an entire Super Star Destroyer hasn't crashed into Ken Blackwell's muppet head yet that I'm liable to start building one just for this purpose. Assholes.

Last Call

At least one billionaire conservative's pet super-PAC is vowing to go into the depths of hatred, bigotry and racism that even the McCain campaign wouldn't touch, and will do so in October as the presidential election season nears the home stretch.

The plan, which is awaiting approval, calls for running commercials linking Mr. Obama to incendiary comments by his former spiritual adviser, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., whose race-related sermons made him a highly charged figure in the 2008 campaign. 

“The world is about to see Jeremiah Wright and understand his influence on Barack Obama for the first time in a big, attention-arresting way,” says the proposal, which was overseen by Fred Davis and commissioned by Joe Ricketts, the founder of the brokerage firm TD Ameritrade. Mr. Ricketts is increasingly putting his fortune to work in conservative politics. 

The $10 million plan, one of several being studied by Mr. Ricketts, includes preparations for how to respond to the charges of race-baiting it envisions if it highlights Mr. Obama’s former ties to Mr. Wright, who espouses what is known as “black liberation theology.” 

The group suggested hiring as a spokesman an “extremely literate conservative African-American” who can argue that Mr. Obama misled the nation by presenting himself as what the proposal calls a “metrosexual, black Abe Lincoln.” 

Oh please let that be Herman Cain.  That would be the most awesome thing ever.

And if the name Joe Ricketts sounds familiar, he's the guy who bought himself a GOP senate candidate in Nebraska's primary this week, funding Deb Fischer's out-of-nowhere win over state AG Jon Bruning in a last minute victory to take on Bob Kerrey for Ben Nelson's seat.  And Joe Ricketts plays hardball with his billions.

A copy of a detailed advertising plan was obtained by The New York Times through a person not connected to the proposal who was alarmed by its tone. It is titled “The Defeat of Barack Hussein Obama: The Ricketts Plan to End His Spending for Good.” 

The proposal was presented last week in Chicago to associates and family members of Mr. Ricketts, who is also the patriarch of the family that owns the Chicago Cubs. 

Brian Baker, president and general counsel of a super PAC called the Ending Spending Action Fund, said Mr. Ricketts had studied several advertising proposals in recent months and had not signed off on a specific approach to taking on Mr. Obama. 

“Joe Ricketts is prepared to spend significant resources in the 2012 election in both the presidential race and Congressional races,” Mr. Baker said in an interview Wednesday. “He is very concerned about the future direction of the country and plans to take a stand.” 

Citizens United means Ricketts and others like him can publicly announce they are spending their fortunes to buy our government and your vote through awful campaign smears, and that doing so is free speech protected by the Constitution.  Isn't America great?

And here's the best part of all.  Turns out Mr. Gubment Spends Too Much here sought a $200 million public finance deal to renovate Wrigley Field.  Frees up a bunch of green so he can spend it on attacking the President, huh?

Can’t make this stuff up, folks.

A Final Take On Herman Cain

The Immoral Minority ran an interesting article linking Herman Cain to Sarah Palin.  I'm not going to lie, chocolate male doppelganger made me laugh out loud, but he backs it up with facts you don't have to look hard to prove.

Like Palin he believes he is destined to be the President.

Like Palin he believes the media is attacking him when they ask him hard questions,

Like Palin he refused to apologize for anything he was accused of doing, and seemed to believe that when the facts came out he would be vindicated even though time and time again the opposite proved true.

And like Palin he said he was getting out of the race to protect his family, and simply could not admit that he had too many skeletons in his closet, and deficiencies as a candidate, to really make a run for the White House.

Herman Cain really believed we were so stupid that we couldn't see through him. He thought he had us fooled, and he thought he was so clever that his bullshit could never catch up to him. Wrong on all counts. So long, you nasty, sleazy old fart.

A Study Of Known Unknowns

John Hinderaker, whether on purpose or by complete accident, hits upon the major problem for Republicans going forward right now without Mr. 9-9-9 (emphasis mine):

What happened to Herman Cain is what the Democrats intend to do to whoever the Republican nominee turns out to be. They know they can’t win a debate on the economy or on President Obama’s record, so they will do everything they can to distract the voters’ attention from those matters, which should be decisive, and instead turn the focus to the GOP candidate and his or her alleged foibles. If Republican voters allow that to happen by nominating a candidate with baggage that permits the Democrats to turn him into the next Herman Cain, it is all too likely that President Obama will be re-elected, with consequences that can hardly be overestimated.

And exactly which candidate meets that criteria?  One Percent Huntsman?  Second Chance Palin?  Whatever position Mitt Romney is taking this week?  If there is a candidate that actually fits that description, Hinderaker doesn't mention who they are.

Perhaps that's because precisely none of the remaining contestants on "So You Think You Can Run The Country" here are anything more than the sums totals of their foibles and baggage, defined so completely as aggregate concretions of varying densities of suck.

If there was a Republican who could truly take on President Obama and win easily, would they be having essentially a completely open primary with the first House Speaker to face admonition for ethics violations as their current "top guy"?

I'm honestly curious as to whom Hinderaker is referring to, because I don't think they exist.

[UPDATE] What BooMan said: 

None of these candidates can unite the Republican Party. In fact, all of them will divide it in more or less devastating ways.

President Obama will win a second term precisely because of that.

Cain Unable, Part The Last

And he's done.

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain effectively ended his White House bid on Saturday under the weight of accusations of sexual harassment and marital infidelity.

Cain told supporters at an event in Atlanta that the charges hurled at him over the weeks are "false and unproved" but said they have taken a toll on him and his wife, Gloria, who appeared with him on stage.

"I am suspending my campaign," Cain said.

We have a photo from the event...




Good night, sweet comedy prince.  May flights of angels with nice racks and low self-esteem sing thy campaign to rest.

Cain Unable, Part 11

Herman Cain will here in Cincinnati this morning on the "campaign trail", which apparently means "the slow, agonizing death of his run for President where everyone but Herman Cain himself admits it's over."  His first stop this morning:  Orange Julius country up in the northern suburbs.

Republican Presidential candidate Herman Cain will appear at a 9 a.m. rally Wednesday at the Marriott Hotel off Interstate 75 and Union Centre Boulevard.

The former pizza company executive is making a three-city swing through the state. West Chester is in a key Republican belt in Ohio, typically a pivotal swing state in presidential elections

The longtime married man has denied allegations in recent days he had a 13-year affair with a Georgia businesswoman. The allegations come after several women alleged he sexually harassed them.

Speculation swirled in the national media Tuesday night that he may quit the race. But Cain has said he will not quit unless his wife tells him she no longer believes in him.

Good god, Gloria Cain.  Spare the country this nonsense, tell him it's over, and let's get back to the GOP doing something insane like nominating Newt Gingrich, assuring an Obama win. I mean at this point, Team Cain Unable has even lost J-Mart:

Herman Cain is in the midst of “reassessing” whether to continue his 2012 bid, but its legacy is already settled: His campaign will go down as one of the most hapless and bumbling operations in modern presidential politics, setting a new standard for how to turn damaging press coverage into something far worse.

We've got work to do to get him to leave, I guess.

Cain Unable, Part 10

So Herman Cain went on CNN this morning to defend his TSA profiling program of "targeted identification" as entirely not like a profiling program, only that it would accomplish the same things.

In an interview Sunday, CNN’s Candy Crowley pressed Cain on what he meant by “targeted identification.”

“I don’t see it as another word for profiling,” Cain explained. “Targeted identification is a deliberate approach to figure out patterns associated with people who have tried to kill us.”

“But this sounds a little bit like ‘flying while Middle Eastern,’ not unlike ‘driving while black,’” Crowley noted, referring to the fact that African Americans are often stopped by law enforcement more often than whites.

“Candy, you are trying to pull me into the rhetoric that gets people in trouble, and what I’m trying to do is not be drawn into that,” Cain objected. “No. I am not trying to identify a particular religion, a particular color, a particular ethnicity. I’m simply saying, we should not be afraid to identify those characteristics that basically have been consistent in people who have tried to hurt this country. That’s all I’m saying.”

Right, we just generalize people for extra scrutiny and accuse them of being security threats based on completely physical, if not racial criteria but it's not profiling and it's not like "driving while black" at all.

Can Herman Cain even name those "characteristics" that he would have the TSA look for in suspects?  No, because a truly fair system would A) acknowledge that we have a domestic terror problem with white male terrorists and that they exist, and B) we'd have to do something about them. Better to say "we're keeping an eye on that young male Muslim looking guy."

Cain's done, but to see his last gasps like this?  Just depressing.

Bachmann and Cain: Here's A Hint

Herman Cain said he believed the sexual harassment charges against him may have been racially motivated.  Now Michele Bachmann says she was shown bias because she's a woman on the Republican ticket (all together now: DUH).

Or maybe it's because they're a couple of assholes.  I'm just saying that's what it sure looks like to me.  I personally don't despise Cain because of his race.  It's more because when he is quizzed on Libya he dodges answering with a no-brainer statement: "I got all this stuff twirling around in my head." Arianna Huffington brilliantly labels this as the campaign trail equivalent of "the dog ate my homework."  Maybe that's our problem, because the Democrats who see through his stupidity and bluster are fully supportive of Obama, who happens to be black but makes a hell of  a lot of sense, and doesn't tell us what's twirling in his head. 

Bachmann earned my wrath when she declared war on the Department of Education.  If she cares about equality for women, she sure has a funny way of showing it with her views on women's health care, and our insurance options.  If you don't meet Bachmann's view of correct, you are shit on the heel of her expensive leather shoe.  And that seems to make up most of the people she claims to want to represent.  You know, the poor people that she and Cain both disdain and work to keep down so the upper crust remains... well, crusty.

Please, for the love of doughnuts, don't let these two idiots turn fact checking into discrimination.  The reality is, they're both unworthy of the title they seek, and give the voters credit for seeing through it.

Cuban Stupidity Crisis

(CNN) - While campaigning in Miami on Wednesday, Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, who's taken heat over his knowledge of foreign policy, dodged questions on issues related to Cuba.
Asked by a reporter if he supported the "wet-foot, dry-foot policy," which allows Cuban immigrants to stay in the United States once they get in, Cain responded: "Wet-foot, dry-foot policy?"

The Miami Herald reports that Cain's handlers then intercepted the questioning and rushed Cain away from the press. When he came back later, Cain didn't answer another question about the topic, instead saying, "Gotta run, gentleman," the newspaper reported.

In a speech earlier in the day, Cain seemed to outline his approach to Cuba without going into specifics.

"One of my principles is: Go to the source closest to the problem," Cain said. "I want to get from Cuban leaders [in South Florida] a solution of what we should do."

Cain, whose campaign surge kicked off in Florida about seven weeks ago when he won a closely-watched straw poll in the state, drew enthusiastic crowds throughout the day at different stops.

Later at Versailles Restaurant, located in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood, a reporter asked about President Barack Obama's decision to scale back some travel restrictions to Cuba, to which Cain reportedly said that was a "gotcha question."

Surrounded by much fanfare, Cain enjoyed a pastry at the restaurant's bakery, asking at one point with his mouth full, "How do you say 'delicious' in Cuban?"

A supporter quickly answered back: "Delicioso." The word is in Spanish, as there is no "Cuban" language.

"Delicioso," Cain repeated, while still chewing. "Delicioso."

The depth of his stupidity knows no bounds.  Neither does his ego.  His vision of a president doesn't even include knowing what is going on regarding foreign policy.  He tells the poor it's their fault for being poor, and is backed by Donald Trump.


At this point, I can't even think of a single positive thing to say about this man.  Begone from my headlines, sir! 

Cain Unable, Part 9

We come not to praise Godfather Pizza Caesar, but to bury his campaign under its own cheese, unremarked, unlamented, in a shallow grave in Milwaukee.

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, in the midst of a Midwestern campaign swing, stumbled badly Monday when attempting to answer a question about whether he agreed or disagreed with President Barack Obama's approach to handling the Libyan crisis.

Meeting with Journal Sentinel reporters and editors before fundraising appearances in Milwaukee and Green Bay, Cain was discussing foreign policy in general when he was asked specifically about Obama's handling of Libya.

Cain paused for some time, then wanted to clarify that Obama had supported the uprising. Clearly struggling to articulate a response, Cain paused again, saying, "Got all of this stuff twirling around in my head."

Finally, Cain said: "I would have done a better job of determining who the opposition is. And I'm sure that our intelligence people had some of that information. Based upon who made up that opposition . . . might have caused me to make some different decisions about how we participated. Secondly, no I did not agree with (Moammar) Gadhafi killing his citizens. Absolutely not. . . . I would have supported many of the things that they did to help stop that."

The MJS's dryly clinical post-mortem notes on the death of Cain's campaign really don't do justice to the amount of fail accumulated by Cain here.  How truly bad was Cain's disastrous response to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's editorial board?  Judge for yourself.




There's no way out of this one, folks. If the sexual assault allegations weren't enough to finish him for the GOP chuckleheads in denial, this "performance art" in the theater of the absurd here is finito for the Pizza Man.

This pizza is burnt, if not charred.  Time to throw it out and pick the next flavor of the month, huh guys?

Another Milepost On The Road To Oblivion

Oh look, Politico is pitching Obama is DOOOOOOOOOOMED stuff again.  Must be another Monday WIN THE NEWS CYCLE offensive with the President's numbers improving enough to mean that they have to serve penance for the Cain sexual assault story.

Sen. Joe Lieberman was treated like an outcast back in 2008 when he broke from the Senate Democratic Caucus and openly opposed Barack Obama’s bid for the White House.

Asked last week if he’d back Obama in 2012, the Connecticut independent said, “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

This time around, there may be more Liebermans.

A number of moderate Democrats like Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar and liberals like Sen. Bernie Sanders are declining to give their unqualified support for the president, saying they’re either too focused on their own races or are calling on the White House to cater to their agendas before they will offer an endorsement. Some up for reelection in red states or in swing districts fear that even showing up on stage with Obama will give their opponents an image to seize upon — much as Democrats did in 2008 when they repeatedly flashed shots of Sen. John McCain hugging President George W. Bush.

Really?  Joe Lieberman doesn't know if he's going to support President Obama?  This is news?  Isn't he not running for reelection anyhow?  And Blue Dog Henry Cuellar is attacking President Obama from the right, while Bernie Sanders is making news by attacking POTUS from the left?  Wow, way to stay on top of the pulse of rapid Washington change, guys.

Then again, Politico thinks the President having a six point lead over Mitt Romney in their own poll makes Obama vulnerable.  Just causing problems, these guys.  Also, totally penance for the Cain story.

Last Call

Your political cartoon of the moment, from the Charlotte Observer's Kevin Siers:



Like I said before, "You want a job, right?" should be the Dems' slogan in 2012.

Cain Unable, Part 8

And the first call for Herman Cain to quit the race coming from a sitting Republican is in: Alaska's Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski told CNN on Tuesday she is "concerned" that the most recent charge of sexual harassment against Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain "is not an isolated incident" and that he should quit the race if there is any truth to the claims.


"I'm learning about this at the same time as any of the rest of you. But I would suggest that if, in fact, there is substance to the claims - and now there are apparently four individuals that have been involved or who have come forward - if that's the case, I think that his opportunity as a nominee are gone," the senator said.

Nearly all of the Republican senators contacted by CNN sidestepped questions about the scandal that has rocked Cain's campaign, saying they want to learn first if there is real evidence to support the mostly anonymous charges.

However, Murkowski made clear she was moved by the public account of Sharon Bialek, a single mother from Chicago who held a news conference on Monday to say Cain wanted sex in return for helping her to find a job.

And so it begins.   Steve M. thinks Herman will be with us well into 2012.  I personally think Cain will get stomped in Iowa and New Hampshire and fold before St. Patrick's Day anyway, so it's a moot point. We'll see how far this goes, but given Cain's ego and the fact his only job is to sell books right now, he'll stick around for as long as he can.

Meanwhile, a second Cain accuser's identity has been revealed.

Thanks to a decision by The Daily — News Corp’s iPad-only newspaper — to out her this morning, a communications director at the Treasury Dept. has become the second woman to have her name put to accusations that Herman Cain is a serial sexual harasser.

Whether she likes it or not — and it seems clear that she doesn’t — Karen Kraushaar’s name will now be part of the story of Cain’s history of being accused of inappropriate behavior at work. Kraushaar, 55, confirmed to NPR Tuesday she was one of the women who complained about Cain’s actions at the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s and settled the claims with the NRA.

It's entirely possible this mess could reach critical mass, but given that the only people whose opinion on Cain actually counts right now are GOP primary voters in early primary states (and they love the guy) we'll see what happens.

Magic 8-ball says it's Newt's turn on top of the Clown Car anyway.

Last Call

This afternoon not only did a fourth woman come forward to accuse Herman Cain of sexual harassment, not only did she hold a public press conference with her lawyer Gloria Allred, but the accusations themselves really were nothing short of sexual assault.

Sharon Bialek alleged at a news conference today that Herman Cain reached under her skirt in 1997 as she sought help in finding a job. 

The Chicago-area mother, who is described as a Republican, urged the GOP presidential candidate to “come clean” and admit how he was “inappropriate” with her and other women.

Bialek’s story was immediately denied by the Cain campaign, which sent out a news release as the woman spoke publicly at a New York City news conference with her lawyer, noted defense attorney Gloria Allred, by her side. The stories of three other women have been reported by Politico and the Associated Press.

Oh, it gets worse.

Bialek described an incident in July 1997 where she and Cain were in a car and her offered to show her the trade group’s headquarters. 

“Instead of going into the offices, he suddenly reached over and … put his hand on my leg, under my skirt toward my genitals,” Bialek said.

“He also pushed my head toward his crotch,” she said.

Bialek replied that she was married had a boyfriend when Cain allegedly did this, his response was “You want a job, right?”


And if the unremittingly awful context of “You want a job, right?” doesn’t sum up the entire Republican Party over the last several years, then I don’t know what else could.  Cain’s stated policies are disgusting as it is, but this pretty much seals the deal.  Big gorram line between sexual harassment (which is never okay) and sexual assault, and Herman Cain just sailed over it.

Oh, and if that’s not enough to make you try to dent your monitor in with your fist, El Rushbo’s response to the presser will do it, if not Dick Morris's response.

Last Call

Rachel Maddow surmises that Herman Cain's campaign is nothing more than just performance art.

Ticking off a list of Cain’s numerous gaffes, unintentionally (or not!) bizarre statements and pop culture-derived policy ideas, Maddow said she’s convinced Cain isn’t seriously running for President.

“It is one thing to be a gaffe-prone, inexperienced candidate. But the gaffes are too perfect,” Maddow said.

“Black walnut, noted for it’s ‘staying power,’ doesn’t exist anymore. The book chapter on the magic number. The 9-9-9 thing from the video game. The great poet Pokemon. Pokemon? Really? A Pokemon movie? Really?” she said. “A string of supposed gaffes like that is not found in nature. But at this point in the campaign no one has figured out that this is not politics. This is art.”

“Is this guy pulling our leg? The answer is ‘yes,’ this guy is pulling our leg.”

It's a valid theory, but Herman Cain needs to be taken deadly seriously, as do all the GOP candidates. Worse case scenario is that one of them may become President. At the very least, Cain has already made his influence on the rest of the crowd with his flat tax nonsense mucking up the actual debate we need to be having about fixing the economy.

If the Democrats decide there's political benefit to going down this road, Cain's performance art will have very real and very painful consequences for millions of Americans.  Dismissing Cain as a joke is all well and good, but let's remember to do so on the merits (or lack of them) rather than just pointing and laughing and saying "Boy these people are idiots, there's nothing for us to worry about."

Or are we forgetting 2010, Rachel?

Cain Unable, Part 7

If El Rushbo said the sun was a liberal media trick, at least 50% of Republicans would choose to live in total darkness because our Founding Fathers wanted us to evolve "magically be granted by angels" echolocation because Real Americans don't need your dirty hippie sunlight, and that's why Benjamin Franklin invented sonar, dammit.

Fifty-five percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say they do not regard the allegation of sexual misconduct as a serious matter. But while 22 percent of Cain’s own supporters call it serious, that jumps to 44 percent among those who aren’t backing Cain. Among Romney’s supporters it’s similar, at 49 percent.

As noted, it makes a difference. Among all leaned Republicans, 69 percent say the controversy surrounding Cain does not make a difference in their vote; 23 percent say it makes them less likely to support him. That “less likely” number, however, shrinks to 3 percent among those who see it as not serious — but swells to 52 percent of those who do see it as a serious matter.

As ABL keeps saying, the second we find out any of Cain's accusers are white, he's going to find out exactly what constitutes a "serious matter" among Republican voters.  Granted, that's just an exercise in asking which is more acceptable for Republicans, misogyny against women in general or racism against Cain himself.  So far, misogyny is winning handily.  That may change when we discover the identities of his accusers.

Cain's Bull In A China Shop

At what point do we just admit Herman Cain is just as staggeringly ignorant as the rest of the Clown Car Kids?

Herman Cain may have some surprises at his first national security briefings should he win the presidency.

In an interview with PBS, Cain appears to suggest that Americans should consider China dangerous in part because they’re pursuing “nuclear capability.” In fact, China tested its first nuclear device in 1964 and has had a stockpile of warheads for decades.

Gosh, you mean Mr. "Ubeki-beki-beki-beki stan-stan" here doesn't know a gorram thing about foreign policy?  Didn't we recently have a President that suffered from this particular affliction while running around and costing us trillions with his codpiece?  The post-Palin GOP candidates should be rejected on the most basic of merits, but they are celebrated instead as "deep thinkers" and "innovators" when they should be considered, you know, morons.

Last Call

Rick Perry loves maple syrup, folks.



With all the insanity over Herman Cain's high-speed train wreck into a 137-car pileup, I think this is the real political story of the week.



Cain may walk away from the events this week. But Perry's "college open mic night at the Improv routine" here? Nope. Done. And the only reason we're not all laughing at this idiot is that we're too busy laughing at Herman Cain right now.

What I walk away from after seeing all this is just how apt the comparisons are between Perry and Dubya. There's no doubt that the exact same sort of Animal House frat-boy "Now watch this drive!" center-of-attention nonsense is the true motivation of Rick Perry as it was of Bush Jr. and all.

Perry looks like Will Farrell channeling Dubya if he was running today. Period.

Cain Unable, Part 6

And the Cain Train just derailed all over the Monday morning headlines as claims of sexual harassment are coming forward from Cain's days as head of the National Restaurant Association lobbyist outfit in the 90's.

Politico reports “at least two” women working at the NRA when Cain ran it “complained to colleagues and senior association officials about inappropriate behavior” by the man who is now the national frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination.

More:

The women complained of sexually suggestive behavior by Cain that made them angry and uncomfortable, the sources said, and they signed agreements with the restaurant group that gave them financial payouts to leave the association. The agreements also included language that bars the women from talking about their departures.

Details on the incidents described in Politico include “conversations allegedly filled with innuendo or personal questions of a sexually suggestive nature” and “descriptions of physical gestures that were not overtly sexual but that made women who experienced or witnessed them uncomfortable and that they regarded as improper in a professional relationship.”

Ever notice that anybody who gets close to/ahead of Mittens in the primary polling suddenly gets a "bombshell revelation" dropped on them that reveals the clearly obvious fact that they are a grifter lunatic that couldn't operate a paper bag correctly, a trenchant observation apparent to anyone who isn't a Tea Party mouth-breather and has a functioning frontal lobe?

First it was Ron Paul, then Shelly Bachmann, then Rick Perry, now Herman Cain.  The Tea Party wants anybody other than Mitt to win this thing so badly it hurts, but the real people in charge of the GOP won't let that happen.

(More after the jump)