Explaining last gaffe, Cain stumbles again

The Hill ^ | 11/18/11 | Jonathan Easley

[mdittmar]

GOP presidential hopeful Herman Cain committed another potentially damaging foreign policy gaffe on Friday, when he inferred that the Taliban posed a threat to the Libyan government.

Speaking at a press conference in Orlando, Cain was defending his performance in front of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s editorial board earlier this week, in which he searched for words and sat in awkward silence after being asked if he agreed with the Obama administration’s policy towards Libya.

“Do I agree with siding with the opposition? Do I agree with saying that Qadhafi 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?” Cain asked reporters. “Do I agree with not knowing the government was going to — which part was he asking me about? I was trying to get him to be specific and he wouldn't be specific.”

The Taliban is an Islamist militant group based in Afghanistan and Pakistan, while Libya is in northern Africa.

It’s the latest in a series of foreign policy stumbles for the candidate.

In October, Cain said it wasn’t important to know who was “the president of Ubeki-beki-beki-stan.” And in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel interview, Cain said he couldn’t recall Obama’s position on Libya because he had “all of this stuff twirling around in my head.”

Cain has responded to the criticism by saying he would surround himself with worthwhile advisers to help him out with foreign policy, and that voters didn’t expect him to know everything because “we need a leader, not a reader.”

[GeronL]

The MSM is doing their level best to make this a campaign of GOP “gaffes” against a Presidential Obama.

[The Iceman Cometh]

Can't agree with this story more.

I mean this country would look totally stupid if it elected someone with no experience.

Wait, what?

[thatdewd]

Yeah, but do they speak Austrian?

[Mygirlsmom]

Cain's missteps affect his speech.

Obama's missteps destroy countries

[mdittmar]

LOL!

[taillightchaser]

Damn, I didn’t know that we had 57 states or that Hawaii was in Asia. Wonder why the media didn’t tell me that.

[TexasFreeper2009]

Is this article saying not a single Taliban or a supporter of the Taliban will be part of the new Lybia government?

This is not a gaff, the media is grasping at straws out of desperation, because they know Cain is going to whoop Obama, after he whoops Mitt.

[onyx]

FRIDAY NIGHT AT FREE REPUBLIC!

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FReepathon Day 49!!

[TomGuy]

Sometimes, to get one to quit digging, someone has to take his shovel away from him.

Where are Cain’s handlers? Where are Cain’s tutors?

[Mountain Mary]

LOL is right, TIC. Time to post pic of Hussein in his weed haze with “WAIT. WHAT?” Anyone?

[mdittmar]

Cain doesn’t need any handlers,he is doing fine.

[BenKenobi]

“Is this article saying not a single Taliban or a supporter of the Taliban will be part of the new Lybia government?
This is not a gaff, the media is grasping at straws out of desperation, because they know Cain is going to whoop Obama, after he whoops Mitt.”

I’m not sure either why this is a gaffe. The taliban are associated with the new Libyan government.

[montag813]

Jeez, who cares? The f**king SecDef Panetta today said INDIA was THREAT to America! Now THAT’S a “gaffe”. Not this nonsense.

[CitizenM]

I want Cain to do well. I am rooting for him. But, I am sorry, he really needs to seem more serious about international situations and be more prepared to respond with clear understanding of current events in the world.

I have no doubt that he is a great leader, and would surround himself with quality, capable and erudite advisers. But right now he looks a bit like he hired some of Obama’s dumbos who stumbled during Obama's campaign and still do with advising the current administration. Cain's hesitations and unprofessional responses do not do him justice and cause concern coming from someone we want to entrust with the safety and welfare of our country. Come on, Herman...fire up that train with some good fuel and get going back on track

[DaveyB]

Is this article saying not a single Taliban or a supporter of the Taliban will be part of the new Lybia government?

I think they are saying that the Taliban did not train, support, participate or will benefit by the revolution in Libya. I wonder how they know so much about what didn't happen and yet know almost nothing about Barry Sotero.

[dragonblustar]

meanwhile, Obama is bankrupting the country......

[CainConservative]

Preview of Herman Cain schools the Punk David Letterman TONIGHT! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tBTq9cDSHI&feature=share via @youtube #caintrain #cain2012 #gop #tcot #tpp

[Cicero]

Caine is perfectly right. The lamestream media calls the revolutionaries in Libya Democracy fighters. A more accurate description would be Muslim extremists. They have al Qaeda and Taliban connections, and no doubt include members of those organizations.

Obama is an Islamist, who got us into this war on the wrong side. As usual. Same thing Clinton did in Yugoslavia, when he handed the Serbian province of Kosovo over to Islamist Albanian thugs.

Caine is one of the few public figures who has spoken out honestly about the fiasco in Libya.

[Thunder90]

The truth is that Al Qaeda and members of the Taliban are in Libya now helping out the local radicals. Even NATO intelligence discussed this fact.