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What does he do? Well, first, he writes down exactly what his campaign did this time, and NEVER DOES IT AGAIN.

But what can he do? You are right, there is to some degree no way to look perfect. But it is clear that you can keep and gain supporters with such charges filed, if they are either false or if there is no evidence so you can plausibly dismiss them.

You learn lessons from your past campaigns. (Cain can’t do that). You learn lessons from other past campaigns. Remember Gary Hart? He not only denied something that was happening, he actually challenged the media to look for things, saying they wouldn’t find anything. That was like throwing chum in the water.

Cain did the same, when he not only denied the allegations, but also pre-emptively said that if ANY other women came forward, they would ALL be liars. When you say you NEVER EVER DID something, the media will try to prove you wrong. That happened to George Allen in 2006, when he, trying to dismiss a random charge of racism that was absurd, and that even the media seemed to be ready to help him on, claimed he had NEVER said the “n-word”. Well, he was in college in the 70s-80s. People said the n-word. I regularly sang a song in boy scouts that included the n-word, it was insulting to blacks, we didn’t know it, it wasn’t how we meant it, but we did it.

So when he said “never”, the media felt obligated to find every person who ever thought Allen had said it.

OK, so what COULD have Cain said. Here’s one suggestion, if I had been his campaign chair, for a statement:

“There have been accusations reported in a story this past weekend, alleging that I sexually harassed two women during my time as president of the NRA. First, I want to give you all the facts as I know them. There were two claims of sexual harrassment made by employees against me in the (insert time period). Those allegations were investigated. A settlement was reached between the NRA and the two women, each getting a sum equivalent to a portion of their salary, in exchange for them leaving the organization. The investigation found no wrongdoing on my part. Those are the facts. Here are my thoughts.

“As you know, I am a Christian, and a minister. As such, I have tried to live my life according to His precepts, but I am imperfect, as are we all. What I can say is that I never intentionally sexually harassed anyone. I do not believe my actions in these cases, or at any other time, would be considered sexual harrassment, and I certainly did not intend to harm these or any other women. I am sorry that actions I took that I believe to this day were appropriate were nonetheless interpreted by these women as harrassment, and apologize for my part. I wish these women well, and hope that my running for office has not exposed them unnecessarily, or caused them unwanted attention that they sought to avoid with their settlements.

Being bound by agreement and civility not to discuss these matters lightly, I would ask that if you have any additional questions, you would please submit them in writing to my campaign. I will have my legal team review them and, to the extent I am allowed and the questions are not of a purient nature, I will provide verbal and written responses later today.

Now, I wish to get back to the important business of saving this country from four more disastrous years of an Obama presidency. Thank you, and good day.