E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
HILLSDALE, Mich. -- Those looking for Herman Cain to display a specific and thorough understanding of foreign policy were likely disappointed by tonight's address at Hillsdale College.
Also disappointed - those looking for insights into the future of a campaign that today Cain said was going through a "reassessment."
The former Georgia businessman largely reiterated the same foreign policy message he has harped upon out on the campaign trail. He told the crowd of nearly 400 gathered at Hillsdale College that it is imperative America clearly define its friends and enemies while demonstrating military and economic might. It is what he on the campaign trail calls an extension of the Reagan philosophy, "peace through strength and clarity."
But Cain remained vague about the parameters with which he would define America's relationship with other countries, and mentioned few specific examples.
"We cannot make any nation our friend, but we can make them respect us," said Cain. "And when we are strong militarily and strong economically and demonstrate that we stick to our moral fiber, nations will respect us rather than look down on us."
Tonight's speech comes after Cain has experienced weeks of criticism for botching foreign policy questions, most notably during a meeting with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel where paused and then proceeded with a rambling answer about whether he agrees with how President Obama has handled Libya.
The largest cloud hanging over the Cain campaign during tonight's speech though, was the news his campaign may be undergoing a "reassessment." The comments came during a conference call with senior staffers this morning in the wake of yesterday's news of a Georgia woman claiming to have had a 13-year affair with the candidate.
Senior campaign staff spent the day downplaying the comments and saying it was simply a reference to reassessing campaign strategy.
As his speech began tonight, Cain tweeted, "Team HC: The definition of reassess is: To consider again, esp. while paying attention to new factors. Doesn't sound like dropping out."
As he ducked into a car that would take him to the event, Cain told NBC News, "9-9-9. 9-9-9. We're doing fine" in response to a question about the future of his candidacy.
One day after an Atlanta woman came forward alleging a 13-year long affair, Herman Cain told staffers he is reassessing his candidacy. NBC's Lisa Myers has more.
Leave a Comment:
Moral fiber? Is Cain listening to himself?
Isn't this the same Mr. Cain who said " I don't need to know the DETAILS on foregin policy " ????????
Put his pants problems aside , he still doesn't have what it takes to be president . Put him out to pasture before he makes a bigger fool of himself .
Hermie is ass-cessing the damage to his speaking fees and book royalties and trying to figure out if any of that can be salvaged. He also has got his accountants looking for ways to funnel the millions in campaign contributions to his personal ass-cessment account: "There must be a loophole people! Ain't no way I'm spending all that money on advertisements in Iowa!!"
Really, Cain. Why bother at this point?
And Herman Cain is one of them.
I dunno Mr. Cain. Something's not working for you. You have all the right attributes but your campaign has taken a turn for the worst. Who did you piss off? Must have been someone important...
You've been campaigning now for what? A year? Why all of a sudden are women popping out of the woodwork? Why didn't they appear last year in the beginning? How come now? Don't you realize how much of a diversion they are creating in your efforts? It's all any opposition force can speak of when concerning your election efforts. Personally I don't care about your sexual prowess. I care about how you would run the country and how you are going to stop the fundamental change Obama has started as an attack on our Constitution.
Seems to me Mr. Cain, something needs to be done to either exhonerate yourself... or maybe just a confessoin, the truth (if it is the truth) and you might find yourself on the right path.
He has many of the right attributes. Foreign policy is a little troubling. All he needs to do is read a newspaper once in awhile and he'd know what's going on in the world and probably would be able to articulate it.
All of this is unfortunate on several fronts. All of a sudden, women are coming out of the woodwork. One created skepticism. Two was nearly affirming. Three was edging on ridiculous. And now this last one.....makes all of it almost a farce. Truly, if Mr. Cain was that much of a womanizer, wouldn't that have been well known already?
Regardless. There are more important issues of the country to deal with.
It's also unfortunate because he is someone different. With different ideas, and a positive attitude. He is refreshing among a pool of the same old, same old politician candidates.
Granted, the 999 theory would never be written into law. But it's nice to hear out-of-the-box ideas for a change. The country needs change --- this time in a positive, upward way.
Brian, you're still overlooking that Cain is a complete @!$%#ing moron, and his presidency would be an absolute disaster. The man's a cake eater; a clown.
Like obama?
He will never be like Obama, Obama is the POTUS!
No, James, he would make Obama's presidency look downright genius.
Obama at least has some ideas about how to legislate and work as a team, Cain is all about the Herminator. That's not how you run a country.
Crazy: If Obama has some ideas on how to legislate and work as a team why hasn't he opened up in the past three years? Cain may be all about the Herminator, but Obama is all about Hope and Change. Well, there's little hope left and change went the wrong direction.
I never said he was good at them, that was kind of the point. He has experience and he still can't get it right. Cain, with no experience and this bizarro idea that he'll just force Congress to do what he wants.
Obviously you're one of those Obama haters who sees any words about him that don't involve insults and childish nicknames as praise. I'm no fan, so if I'm saying he's better than Cain, that says a lot.
Actually Crazy, I don't hate him. I do hate the way he has surrounded himself with people who have no idea what they are doing and can't give him the advice a President needs. He made all these big promises during the campaign and can't deliver, now time is running out and we are still in a rut. Maybe if he fired them all and made all his own decisions things would be better. Blaming Bush and the Republicans in Congress is getting old, and from now till the election when someone irks me on these forums by saying that I'm striking back. He made his own bed, let him lie in it.
BTW, I agree with you. Cain is not a viable replacement. Fair enough?
Cain is incapable of telling the truth.
No chance Cain's just a scumbag in politics, right??? No, now how could that be possible?
This guy may have had some success peddling pizzas but to think that he could be POTUS is ridiculous. Aside from his philandering (he's in good company with Newt) he knows nothing about anything of global importance. His only claim to fame was his moronic 999 tax plan, which would only be appealing to someone who is really rich or someone who doesn't know basic math. What has he ever done or said that would make him even remotely presidential? Nothing!
"all the right attributes?" LOL: admitted ignorance on not only foreign policy, on the world at large...ignorance of CURRENT US policy on a range of issues...a tax plan he can't even speak to in any detail...never having run for office let alone actually HOLDING a public office...Yeah, right...someone needed to do him in???
"fundamental change Obama has started as an attack on our Constitution".
That statement is absurd. And in his wildest dreams he could not do the same amount of damage to our constitutional rights as the previous administration did in the name of the "War On Terror".
The change has been in the right direction, but we need MORE of it. When President Obama took office, the country was hemorrhaging jobs. That's over with. What we need now is to add jobs faster than we have been.
The biggest problem is foolhardy Republican politicians trying to starve the economy when what it needs is nourishment.
First of all, since you do not have a firm grip on truth, it would impossible for you to judge "Cain truth." No one has attacked the Constitution, except those Righties on this campaign reality show.
You missed the point in his statement about "moral" fiber!!!! Bad eyes, or dismissive of morals.
@imnotlost Somewhat fair enough. Considering it took Bush eight years to screw things up, it's not going to turn around easily, especially with an obstructionalist congress. And he's not doing himself any good by standing around looking lost half of the time. Bush should've kept half of the people who quit on him and fired most of the ones who stayed (Rumsfeld, anyone?).
Equally, the electorate takes a hit for electing the morons time and time again that wiped out the regulations we needed and for worrying more about lining their own pockets than the well-being of the country.
About the only sane one out there is Jon Huntsman and he won't get the Republican nomination because the loyalists won't flock to him because he doesn't hit all the proper Bible-thumping, kick the little guy, feed the oligarchy marks.
Yeah, I really wanna hear about morals from this horn dog!
That's Herman, the Trail of Disappointment.
Is this guy serious? Its over, just go home...
If it wasn't for the fact that he is spending hard earned Republican donors money, I'd say "Go away already! You've outlived your flim flam!" But alas, waisting Republican money has become a sport. A passtime for the likes of Ginrich and Cain, who have no intention of running a country. It's too much work! There are easier ways to become rich and famous and both these guys a living proof of that.
Sorry spelling police. "wasting" and "are living proof". Must be time to go to bed. Good night.
Zerobama has no intention nor clue about running this country and you still worship him, amazing.
The republicans ran up the largest deficit in the history of this country with two wars and several tax cuts mostly to benefit the very richest for the first time in our history during wartime and James you still think that the republicans have a clue as to what they are doing?
That is unless their plan is to destroy America, if that is the case they are doing a damn good job. You know the ones more than willing to raise taxes on the poorest just not on the richest.
Ah yes, the celebrity politicians. Only in America.. let's see the incentives:
Palin: books, speaking tours, interviews, celebrity dancing
Trump: books, speaking tours, interviews, syndicated TV Show
Cain: books, speaking tours, interviews, booty!!!!
Absolutely right. And don't forget Newt's books, speaking fees and lobbying. Everyone seems to forget that he's already a disgraced, corrupt politician who resigned from the House after his own ethics violations.
I wish it was just republican donor money he was spending - after all they placed their bets and they took their chances.
My problem is that now he is costing tax-payer money. I heard the other day he was the first candidate to be afforded a secret service detail.
Mr. Cain, be a patriot. Drop out now. Spare us some funds and yourself further embarrassment.
I heard the other day he was the first candidate to be afforded a secret service detail.
Wrong, he was not the first candidate to receive secret service protection before being nominated.
@Marlon - You totally left out the biggest huckster scam artist out there right now: Newt! The man is the slimiest of the slimiest and is doing nothing but attending his and his 3rd wife's book signings and their movie debuts, er I mean 'campaigning'! Every single sentence he utters in a speech has a website, book, book signing tour, or Newt film viewing sales pitch affixed.
Ever had one of those really bad nightmares, Every time you wake up and then fall back to sleep you return to the same place in the same nightmare? Well here is that nightmare all over again..... I got to give him props on not being a quitter. But he does have to know when to tap out.
and now,the end is near and they will raise the final curtain...........my friends,I did get laid,at least of that I know I'm certain......
Lol...... Good One. :)
Count down to implosion for rhyming slimming, squirm-en Hermann
999 we are doing fine
888 still doing great
777 I'm in heaven
666 maybe it's nix
555 staying alive
444 don't know if I can do it anymore
333 oh woe is me
222 I think I'm through
111 I'm finally done
Ha this guy wants to be POTUS and he actually says to the press 999 were doing fine. Really, you want to be the leader of the free world, and this is all you got. I just wish I could see Hermann debate Dr. Seuss for the republican nomination, now that would be fun.
run Forrest run !!!
My name is Herm,yes Herm I am
and I really love green eggs and ham.....
I am about to run for the republican nomination, hell I think I could be a front runner for at least one day.
The Fatcat in a Pimp Hat?
Hermann Hires a Ho?
racist
It's dark humor, not racism.
Ya know it wouldn't be right to rip on the guy if he hadn't accused democrats of ruining the institution of marriage....but the gop has no shortage of hypocrisy this cycle.
When all else fails, another war speech. Let me guess your target... Iran! That is the only thing that all Republican candidates agree on. There is no doubt after the debates, there will be war with Iran if any Republican candidate is elected in 2012.
Now, lest ye forget, we already did this for 10 years... Bush and his wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, paid for with more national debt. Yeah, right, we need this all over again!
and don't forget all the mountains......
Right, but no one beats the killing machine you idiots worship, zerobama.
Damn straight he collects the heads of the murderous bastards that killed innocent American civilians. That's exactly what the POTUS and CIC should do.
@james, I guess by killing machine you are referring to President Obama's ability to destroy Osama bin Ladin and others or what he is going to do to the GOP in 2012.
Funny you should mention Iran - Donald Trump was tweeting today that he expects Obama to start a war with Iran in order to get elected...even funnier because it indirectly undermines all the Republican candidates tough talk on Iran too...where have all the smart Republicans gone? I never like the party, but at least I used to respect them (as in "2007 pre-lunacy John McCain" and others...).
war with Iran is coming regardless of who is in the White House...
Two bad Hurmin didn't make the prymary erection cuz I think he cud hav won the genital election .....dang smellchek...
Poor Herman...he's drowning !!! I spose the right thing to do would be to call our Obama and have him walk out on the water and save him......naaaaaaaaa !!!
Why are you still here?
Cain is too black for these racist, hypocrite lemmings to accept. It looks like Herman is trying to regroup. Anyone is better than the imposter we have now.
Cain is a pathetic joke, and deserves to be treated as such, he is not too black, he is too stupid. 999 we are doing fine Ha too funny, why not just say see you later alligator, after while crocodile, that's my story morning glory. Good luck with your guy Cain, James.
He's not too black...he's just too much like the other idiots running for the nomination - uninterested in history, uninformed about our laws and Constitution and unqualified to hold office. Period.
I don't like the way Cain handled this and I will tell you why, no, that is another one.
I have all this stuff whirling in my head.
999 that is pretty pitiful when a presidential candidate thinks that is all he needs to know and repeats it often. Herman Cain known for the tax plan to screw the middle class and is proud of it.
Not so sure the republicans screw the middle class and our country for the rich is a winning plan forward. It seems the Koch brothers couldn't win an election so they are trying to buy control of our country.
Obama/Biden 2012
James: Cain is "too black"??? What does that mean exactly? You actually throw the label racist around to others after posting that??
Too black? That's a helluva racist comment right there. I'm just gonna ignore you now, since you really don't have anything useful to say.
He will support nine allies, combat nine enemies, and to the Germans say nein, nein, nein.
Cain reiterates foreign policy, plays down 'reassessment'
Giving due weight to Mr. Cain's foreign policy views, "reassessment" by Mr. Cain and others may later include some domestic issues.
In connection with Ms. White's allegations:
1. Were reimbursement statements, signed by him as an officer with a fiduciary duty to the organization, false statements?
A.If so: does the Board have a fiduciary duty to seek to recoup: (1) the payments with interest; (2) any salary, pension, retirement, insurance or other benefits he may have obtained under the representation and his fiduciary duty that at all times he was in compliance with all applicable law?
2. If the statements are not accurate, would the Board be wise to have an independent review such as the Freeh-type inquiry--independent, unquestionable integrity, outstanding experience and adequate resources and time--by forensic accountants?
3. Does the Board have an obligation to report any alleged or potential embezzlement, theft, misappropriation or fraud it may discover to the legal authorities? (Would the Board separately be wise to do so, to protect the organization and themselves individually themselves from having, or having an arguable defense against, alleged claimed knowledge, complicity, recklessness or negligence?)
4. If the NRA proceeds in some manner against Mr. Cain, does he lose any indemnification and insurance protection, if any existed, from NRA under these circumstances?
A. Who would pay his defense costs, now or later, if he is sued by NRA under their fiduciary duty?
5. Will the result of the reimbursement and payment review be made public to try to recoup a portion of the already-tarnished reputation of the NRA and perhaps members also?
POTENTIAL TAX AND OTHER POTENTIAL LIABILITY
6. If he received or directed payment of any "13 year" or other money or consideration as so-called "reimbursement" of "for the benefit of the NRA, and it was not in the service of non-NRA business, is it income to him?
A. If so, did he report it as taxable income for 13 years (along with any other non-NRA purpose reimbursement, payment or consideration), and might that be a pattern of alleged tax fraud?
B. Concerning anonymity, Ginger White, and a prosecutor, would not be anonymous.
7. Has a grand jury already been empaneled and granted Ginger White use (complete) immunity?
In fairness to Mr. Cain, these are not foreign policy issues, and do not depend upon whether or not he is nominated for President..
"use (complete) immunity" should read "transactional (complete) immunity"
sig, you seem to be a paid poster, a shill.
Fiduciary duty and integrity trump slurs. They are not for sale.
Cains foreign policy" Where's all the European white women hiding"?
Re Cain's "campaign": Toast
I'm poor enough paying no income tax, thank you very much.
Can you imagine Herman Cain representing the U.S. as POTUS? All of our Allies would think we had gone crazy.
Not to mention any females leaders and diplomats would be scared to be left in a room with him anyway near arms length away.
Only 400 attended a major foreign policy address? Hillsdale has 1300 students and 200 faculty. Couldn't they make all those people show up? It is a rightwing school, so surely they're used to following orders.
"We cannot make any nation our friend, but we can make them respect us," said Cain.
We can't make any nation respect us if the person trying to run the country can't remember any specific, recent speech and point of policy and quickly give an answer to a question presented. I hope to god this guy doesn't get elected. Actually, I hope he drops out of the running before he makes himself look any worse...."I got a lot of stuff swirling around up here..." We all do, but most of us can put it together in a few seconds. I'd expect anyone running for anything higher than a city board to be able to give a better answer than that.
Can the US really afford to have an expert pizza maker with clinical SEVERE AMNESIA for President today?
Sounds like a fun and interesting idea for a new "Non-Reality show" - but just as entertainment, please.
Say goodbye already Herm. Go and try to save your marriage.The cheaper tickets are sold on tuesday MORAN!!!
Once Hermann is gone then there are only two more incompetents (Perry and Bachmann) before the Republicans have a half way decent line up. Then they dump the serial womanizer (no Cain is gone) Gingrich and they are down to four decent candidates. One of which would never get elected (Paul) and we have three. Drop the flip flopper who changes his views as often as his Mormon underwear and we are down to two good candidates. If the Republican party would just wake up and realize that Huntsman is not only, intelligent, knowledgable and conservative (qualities that makes him stand out from most Republicans) then they might have a chance. Instead they seem to want to let the right wing nuts run the party.