Cain is Unqualified Even Without a Sex Scandal

Well, I still don’t have a candidate. Herman Cain’s not the guy. His weaknesses now outweigh his advantages. Just as I never disliked Sarah Palin and actually loved it when she was announced as the Vice Presidential pick by John McCain, I have never disliked Herman Cain. But for similar reasons I have to say he ought not be President.

Its perfectly ok for a single issue or “message” candidate not to know about foreign policy or display idiosyncracies on the campaign trail that conventional candidates do not dare copy.

But once it became clear that Cain’s charisma and 9-9-9 plan were propelling him into the first tier of candidates it was time to get serious. That means having a credible foreign policy. I believe now and I believed then that Sarah Palin beat Joe Biden in their one debate. (It was old Washington hand Joe Biden who invented a joint Franco-American mission that evicted Hezbollah from Lebanon.) But to do that she had to go get briefed on something.

After five debates Cain seems not to know that China has nuclear weapons. He has aggressively displayed not just an unfamiliarity, but an unconcern with foreign affairs that borders on the pathological.

His signature campaign, the 9-9-9 plan, did not have a constitutional defense of a general sales tax ready for that important Republican constituency that cares about little things like whether Congress is empowered by the governing document to implement your signature economic program. Now he is in the first crisis of his campaign.

From news reports it appears he knew it was coming but dealt with it insouciantly for 10 days. I will stipulate a black Republican is going to get scrutiny and attacks that no Democrat will ever have to face. John Edwards had a frick’n baby with an employee on the campaign trail and the New York Times failed to mentione it. Herman Cain is alleged, to have used hand gestures and called someone good looking in the 1990’s and its front page news. But that is part of the sea we swim in. Others have noticed this failure to address expected questions and problems.

I don’t care that he hasn’t held elective office. Nor do I care that his campaign manager smokes. The fact of old accusations against him (until I know the substance) don’t disqualify him. But in an important election for the most important elective office in the land you have to show you are serious. Herman Cain refuses to do this and so I have to keep looking.