E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSBy NBC's Andrew Rafferty
Aides to Herman Cain are pointing to a Libyan military commander with ties to the Taliban to vindicate the candidate’s suggestion yesterday that the former militant ruling party of Afghanistan is playing a role in the formation of Libya’s new government.
Cain spokesman JD Gordon cites Abdel-Hakim Belhaj, Libya’s Islamist military commander who fought with the Afghan Taliban, as proof that Cain’s remarks were accurate. Gordon, a former spokesman for the Department of Defense, said he knows Belhaj has taken an “oath of loyalty” to Taliban leader Mullah Omar.
In Orlando on Friday, Cain rhetorically asked reporters at a press conference, “Do I agree with siding with the opposition? Do I agree with saying that Ghaddafy should go? Do I agree that they now have a country where you've got Taliban and Al Qaeda that's going to be part of the government?”
The comment came after the former Georgia businessman faced another question about a mangled answer he gave to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board when asked if he agreed with how President Barack Obama handled Libya. Cain took an extended pause before beginning to answer, and at one point needed to start over.
His suggestion that the Taliban, now dispersed through Afghanistan and Pakistan, is playing a role in forming the new Libyan government was quickly picked up by media as another example of a foreign policy gaffe.
"He’s not suggesting the Taliban is running Libya, he's just saying we did not do a good enough job vetting who the opposition is,” Gordon told NBC News.
Gordon cited several news agencies having to update or correct initial stories after too abruptly reporting Cain had made another gaffe.
“You guys oughtta do your homework,” Gordon said when asked for his reaction to media coverage of the candidate’s remarks. “It's interesting that he knows more than the media in this case."
But it is Al Qaeda, not the Taliban, that U.S. officials most frequently cite as a concern for the role they may play as Libya forms a new government in the wake of Moammar Gadhafi’s death.
Cain’s comments to the editorial board followed a foreign policy debate where he faced criticism for a lack of specificity in his answers, often saying he would rely on the foreign policy advisers around him to make decisions.
Leave a Comment:
are Americans stupid or what?
No they're not stupid they just don't know the facts that's all.
If my Americans you mean Cain - then Absolutely Americans are stupid.
If you mean 'all Americans', then no. All are not stupid.
Enough of them are to believe stupid statements like Cain, Bachmann, Perry, etc. make - even when the statements are blatant and obvious lies.
No, Americans aren't stupid. They could see this coming. The leaders of the United States who attacked Libya, now that's a different story.
Look at who they elected to Congress in 2010 - look at how many gave money to Sarah Pain while she played them for suckers as long as she possibly could - look at how many got excited over Trump's candidacy - then Bachmann's - then Perry's - then Cain's - then Gingrich's ..... at least half of Americans are stupid!
John, when did the US attack Libya?
Go back to making pizza, Mr. Cain.
Cain and all his pizza eaters need to go away and shut up. They haven't a clue and have shown they haven't a clue at least a dozen times in this campaign.
Is there a serious Republican here that supports Cain at all?
So... the other day he couldn't comment on Libya... and today he has some kind of inside scoop on Libya. Right. Shut UP!
Not all of them. Just the ones who support Cain, Perry and Bachmann.
In thinking this through, Cain is a genius. In the last week, he's said enough stupid @!$%# to make people forget all about his sex harrassments.
Well done, Herman.
In this “confused” political climate in the Middle East and North Africa we are often chasing ghosts. One thing however is becoming evident; radical elements of Islam are getting the upper hand in the struggle for “democracy” in the whole region, politically and militarily. One can only hope for the best as it will take forever for our politicians to unravel the puzzle they’ve so eagerly sponsored.
It's obvious Herman Cain doesn't bother to read the news, and possibly doesn't bother to read at all. He has failed to answer anything without reference to Pokeman, SimCity, movies, or the Simpson's, but foreign policy in particular...
Good heavens, the average person on the street knows more. Neocon, what's a Neocon? That right there is Sarah Palin being asked about the Bush Doctrine (and what she reads). And then to add insult to injury, Cain goes on to talk about the Taliban and Al Qaeda in regard to Libya in trying to defend himself. He loves the spot light so much he can't help himself.
Foreign policy doesn't break a candidate, but a candidate must at least appear capable of being the Commander in Chief, as well as POTUS and leader of the free world. What's really sad is how wealthy someone like Cain, or Trump, or Perry and all the right-wing pundits from Limbaugh to Beck to Hannity earn in comparison to average Americans who are far more qualified and intelligent. And the right-wing talks about "exceptionalism."
Enough!
Rick-881466
Rick, who do you suppose makes up the majority of NATO? The attacks on Libya may have been under the NATO flag, but the US makes up the majority of NATO.
Terry--OK can you please tell me how many NATO troops were involved and what percentage of those troops were Americans? Also could you tell me what percentage of air strikes were made by American aircraft as opposed to ...say, French, German or British aircraft? I really don't know the answers to these question and apparently you do. Can you also please quantify for me the exact extent of American involvement in the overthrow of the Qaddafi regime? Just curious...
Bluelake -- Drones and fire power were primarily from the US--troops not so much from anyone.
However, when campaigning for POTUS Dubya made your exact point that no one knows the name of leaders of every country, of course not. Certainly don't ask me to pronounce their names correctly.
Cain tried to emulate Dubya and failed miserably. Not knowing general things, especially about your own Party such as the Bush Doctrine and neocons? Absolutely unacceptable.
Bluelake-You read a lot into a couple of sentences. If you want to know all that. You go and find it yourself. I listen to the news just like everyone else. Also, TruePatriot is right, there were no or very limited NATO "boots on the ground". In the beginning, again from news reports, most of the air strikes came from US aircaft. It later tapered off to support, drones , and refueling of NATO aircraft from others countries, also from the news. Just watch the news Bluelake or go ask NATO.
well bluelake ol buddy it was one of our beloved drone planes that destroyed Qaddafi's convoy which ultimately led to his death and yeah we started the nato @!$%# over there so yes we attacked the @!$%# out of libya sorry if you are disillusioned now or something
Terry---Your two sentences tell me that the US "makes up the majority of NATO" and you thus imply that the majority of the action was by the US, which does, of course make up the majority of NATO. Am I incorrect here? So in other words you are telling me that your statement was meaningless and that I have to do my own research because all that you know you got from" the news" and you have nothing more to back up your implication that the US makes up the majority of NATO and thus made up the majority of the action against the Qaddafi regime. By the way, I have a phone call into the UN and they have not responded yet. I'll let you know if I hear from them. And..Phil, ol buddy I am not disillusioned in the least and I think Obama handled it PERFECTLY !!! Again, am I wrong?
Earlier this week, Hermann Cain admitted to knowing nothing about foreign policy, But now, he knows the inside of the provisional Libyan government? Do I smell an $850k check headed to a recently publicized lobby firm?
Cain who? Bye Bye
Well, Herman's certainly now proven what he said the other day - that he looks down his nose at those who read; scoffed at Obama and said a president should lead, not read. And how, exactly, does one intelligently lead if one doesn't read anything to know what's actually going on in the world?  Herman is a spite filled worm who should slither back under the Koch brothers' rock.
Cain has dreams of grandeaur......he is real stupid if he thought he had a chance at the POTUS in 2012......
Leaders are readers
Cain ,you don't like reading don't you?Then go back to your pizzas.
Damn, it's a good thing Cain didn't goof and say the world was flat. His yes-men would have a tougher time convincing everyone of that.
Given all the other science that the Republicans now dispute, I wouldn't put it past them to try and convince us that the world is flat. And sadly, there is a good percentage of our population that would actually accept the flat world as fact.
Uhhh, Friedman wrote a book on that. An exceedingly dumb book.
All I know is that the world is like a big, round, flat, large pizza, where the toppings do not get along with each other. - Hermann Cain
renscholar
Please enlighten us as to why Tom's book was exceeding dumb.
Did you even read it? What world do you live in?
Just didn't like the premise, right Luddite?
MikeO76,
Please understand we Luddites are not against learning and advancement. We question the continuing application of $100k+ machines to replace $20k employees. Sort of like laying 1000 street sweepers and putting them on welfare; and replacing them with a $50k machine and two operators. Still spending the same money, just changing budget lines, and peoples lives. That is the polite, socialist line. Today's reality is that, to hell with the damn workers, buy a machine and fix the cost. And that is the truth, regardless of the earth's shape.
BTW, Luddites have tv's and computers, we've seen the pictures from space, which we always knew was there.
He belongs in the same camp as Palin, Bachmann,Perry,Newt,Trump and the other Ditto Heads.....What an embarrassment to the Party of NO....
Rhetorical questions: how many times can a candidate for the highest office in the United States prove he's ridiculously unqualified for ANY public office and still be considered a credible candidate? What an embarrassment...
Are you guys sure Herman didn't say Labia and not Libya?
Take that back---He's always searching for one and no knows nothing about the other.
@Take that back - I just split my gut and fell off my chair laughing! Thanks! I needed that.
But will this kick up book sales? Maybe he needs a Colbert bump...
At this point,,,,,,,,Osama Bin Laden could of won the Republican primary easier than any of these sideshow freaks. Can anyone seriously consider any of them??
How long before someone claims it was that nasty liberal media with a gotcha question?Â
Yup! this is the man some 30% of Republicans think would make a great leader!
Â
his handlers did, sort of - “It's interesting that he knows more than the media in this case."
Yes. Yes, the Taliban in Libya. Sure.
C-166
As soon as Hannity gets on the air.
Mr. Herman Cain, sir please go back to your pizza joint or be pastor, preacher or better yet be a singer. but wait I really want you hang around until mid 2012 or until general election. when some people call me stupid for say something, I can point to you, Gov. Rick Perry, Rep. Michelle bachman, even Mr. Donald Trump and say look at these people rich & powerful, they're no better than me.
Cain preaches ignorance.Cain's favourite slogan is:I'm ignorant and I'm proud of it!
That is the saddest part of the whole Cain phenomenon . . . how and why is his ignorance attractive to anyone . . ?
Wouldn't surprise me in the least if the frigging right wing and backers didn't try to start a conflict somewhere just so people THINK we need a super duper DOD and another stoopid republican at the helm. Nothing and I do mean nothing they try surprises me. When they have NO moral compass about life in general how can we expect anything from them that comes from truth. Watch see if the 20 billion each Koch has doesn't go down just a little in this next year.
I can't take it anymore. The rest of the world must think this election is the biggest joke on the planet. Herman Cain leader of the free world? REALLY!
Well, the good news is that after 8 years of George W Bush, the rest of the world knows we are all idiots and don't expect too much of us.
Sorry the Taliwackers wouldn't have treated Gaddafyducks Son the way they did by protecting him.They would of hacked him up or hung him on the spot because that's the way the Taliwhackers are.It's called fronteer justice.
Herman Cain doesn't know his fat ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to foreign policy.Herman needs to go back to school when it comes to foreign policy.
Yes, and Cain has "ties" with a questionable and radical Mormon Cult Leader, they are both running for President!
Good point. Doubt if the Cainiacks are going to understand it.
Don't let Cain turn America into a Pizza Joint!
Cain is soooo yesterday people! Fear not ol Herman Will be back to saucing Pizzas after the first couple priamaries. Hey Herman extra cheese on mine please!!!
Well, at least he probably now knows where Libya is and has some vague sense of what happened there.
I would not count on the first, and obviously he doesn't know what happened there (where ever "there" is).
Does Cain know who Gaddafi was? Maybe the name of an Arabic pizza?
Maybe he thought the question was about Lydia, the tattooed lady. Take a moment and read driftglass' rewrite of the Groucho Marx classic.
here's the link that was omitted
Gordona--He thought the question was about "labia" and said he's been told he can't go there until he's president.
Republican Theme song "SEND IN THE CLOWNS'
They do every debate. LOL!
What I find especially amusing about the number of gaffs that Cain has come off with is that apparently they are not enough because he continues to put his foot up his own ass. I honestly do not understand how any reasonable and rational thinking person could give this clown the time of day when considering who to vote for president. This moron has done nothing but prove that he is not the guy for the job with all of his twisted logic, side stepping of questions and denials about despicable things that his has done in the past. I also could not believe that he was unable to connect all the dots when David Letterman went after him last night regarding his denials as they relate to his despicable behavior with the four women in question that filed complaints against him over the last few weeks. It was amusing that Letterman treated him with such open distain on his show when Cain went into his standard list of denials then acted surprised when Letterman put the number 4 out there as representing the number of female accusers to which Cain responded, “four, where did you get four,” to which Letterman quipped “Oh I guess it must be 999?” to which Cain could only look back at him as he laughed and tried to pass it off as a joke. http://video.msnbc.msn.com/msnbc-tv/45367012/#null
This guy is a disgrace and has no business running for president and any one that supports him has to be pretty stupid because this scumbag is an embarrassment to all things decent and should be ignored. Now he is eager to demonstrate just how little he actually knows about world politics by offering up his opinions on the situation in Libya and the like. It’s almost as if he needs to show us just really how uninformed and ignorant he really is. What a sad joke this POS truly is.
President Obama needs to spend time during the campaign arguing that the sky is blue, that water falls down a waterfall, or that the grass is green. The Republicans will vigorously argue that the sky is red, that water falls up, and that the grass is purple. Have we become such an insanely stupid nation that we give these "I say the opposite of Obama" people even 5 minutes of our time. What is wrong with Americans? Seriously? Americans have become the most stupid people on this planet. I wouldn't elect a single Republican candidate to run the local garbage dump.
It is embarrassing at times to be an American & associated with these small minded people.
Our enemies are hoping one of these republican losers gets elected so they can destroy us. Because all it takes is some money in there pockets to look the other way and they'll do what they want. They sure in the hell don't what Obama around because he's pretty good at hunting.
Oh, Herman "can of coke" Cain....
You see... the GOP wants all the countries to become independent... but then they decide on some sort of government (as long as it is a fair election) and the GOP doesn't like it.... tough..
Lets start building our foreign policy with to regard to Libya based on this sort of ignorant bull crap. Is it no wonder these idiot Repubilcans get us into war after war after war, they are on a religious crusade and they want us all to buy into it.
God, these people piss me off, do something about it! LOL
GOP politicians don't like reading. They like leading America to destruction.
Please Mr. Cain...stop trying to convince us you know what you are talking about. You are clueless. While your interview on Libya was painful to watch, it clearly showed how little you know about this President and how he governs. Do you seriously believe this President did not have his "people" as you call them research the issues surrounding Libya and fonfer with his administration as well as other world leaders? Seriously, sir, your stupidity is mindboggling.
And he suggests what, that we start a war with the new regime that hasn't even been formed yet? Maybe we should colonize their country? Does he not understand how fluid things will be in that country for several years? Just look at what is now happening in Egypt. The same will happen in Afghanistan and Iraq after we leave. That's an unstable part of the world. Maybe we need to finish getting our own house in order before we start on everybody else's. We are not the cops of the world. It sounds like he's thinking just like Bush.
What would Cain know about who is who in another country other then his own give me a break I think he should just keep making mafia pizza's,