Posted on 11/06/2011 11:33:55 AM PST by smoothsailing
November 3, 2011
Alan Caruba
It can be argued that domestic affairs are a president's top priority, but the Constitution expressly puts the chief executive in charge of setting and conducting foreign affairs. It is therefore essential to know if the candidate who wants to be president has a reasonable knowledge of events around the world.
On Tuesday evening I watched an edition of Fox News Bret Beir's Special Report where Herman Cain was "center chair" as the usual members of the panel got a chance to quiz him and, after he attempted to dispose of the charges of sexual harassment unleashed against him, syndicated columnist, Charles Krauthammer asked a question that dealt with foreign policy.
What would Cain do if Iran was going to unleash an attack on the U.S.? Cain gave a rambling, unspecific answer except to say he'd order an Aegis destroyer into the Persian Gulf to let Iran know he was serious, mentioning something about the use by Iran of missiles. It was distressingly clear that Cain had no more idea what he would do than he had regarding other potential foreign policy questions.
Foreign affairs are Herman Cain's Achilles' heel and it has not gone unnoticed by the political press and others. In the October 17 Washington Post, Chris Cillizza took note of Cain's appearance on "Meet the Press" where he was asked "whether Iran's involvement in an alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the U.S. amounted to an act of war."
Cain replied, "After I looked at all of the information provided by the intelligence community, the military, than I could make that decision." That is what is known as a lawyerly response. "If, if it's an act of war, and the evidence suggests that, than I am going to consult with my advisors and say, 'What are our options"'"
If Barack Obama's extremely muted response is any indication, there aren't that many overt options, though one might hope that there are a host of covert ones in the works.
During a PBS interview with Judy Woodruff, Cain was asked about China as a potential military threat to the U.S. At one point Cain said, "They've indicated that they're trying they're trying to develop nuclear capability..." China conducted its first text of a nuclear device on October 16, 1964. It is estimated to have some 400 nuclear weapons. They are not "developing" a nuclear threat. They are a nuclear threat in the same way as other nations with nuclear weapons. This is why Iran is hell-bent on acquiring its own nuclear weapons.
A man no one could accuse of being anything but conservative, Bill O'Reilly of Fox News, had Cain on his program and, in a segment with Dennis Miller, the show's comic relief, O'Reilly said, "Look, I like Herman Cain. I like his spirit. I think he presents himself very well. But when he came on The Factor a few weeks ago, he had no clue about foreign affairs."
Cain lacks a good poker face. When asked questions for which he is unprepared, his eyes begin to blink like a deranged traffic light. He responds with some programmed answer that is often unrelated to the question. He is the proverbial deer in the headlights.
During a recent speech to a Republican audience, he said that so far as he's concerned, America is Israel's ally and vice versa. That got the predictable applause. Cain visited Israel in August on a fact-finding tour. He met with a deputy prime minister and the Mayor of Jerusalem.
However, when he was interviewed by Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday, he was asked about the Palestinian demand of "right of return," a major divide between Israelis and Palestinians, and Cain had no idea what it was. "That's something that should be negotiated," said Cain, grasping for an answer that sounded sensible, but the issue is not negotiable so far as the Israelis are concerned and with good reason. Someone even casually aware of the issues affecting Israel would know that.
Stephen Yates, president of the DC Advisory and former national security advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney, might not be expected to criticize a GOP candidate, but when asked he said of Cain, "These are the kind of questions a leading candidate cannot simply pass to advisors. To date, Cain has not projected command of these presidential imperatives."
A pizza company executive or one leading a restaurant trade association probably doesn't need to know much about foreign affairs, but a candidate for President of the United States needs to know more than some hasty daily briefings by his campaign staffers.
Cain dismissed the fact he had no idea where Uzbekistan is or its strategic importance to U.S. foreign affairs. "When they ask me who is the president of Ubeki-beki-beki-stan-stan, I'm going to say, you know, I don't know. Do you know?" Even Obama knows that a stable relationship with Uzbekistan is regarded as of vital importance to the war in Afghanistan for its airport and as a transit corridor to reduce dependence on Pakistan.
Cain thinks foreign affairs questions are "gotcha" questions, but they may well be the most critical questions a potential president has to understand and answer. It is testimony to the difficulty of these issues that Barack Obama has essentially carried out most of the policies put in place by George W. Bush when it comes to foreign affairs.
Right now Herman Cain is the candidate-de-jour in the polls, but so was Michelle Bachmann and Rick Perry when he got into the race. I like the fact that Cain is a bona fide conservative. I don't like the obvious fact that he couldn't find Uzbekistan on the map and probably doesn't know much else about the world.
On that count alone, I would not vote for him. Republicans have to get over their current love affair with Herman Cain and select a candidate more qualified to lead the nation.
© Alan Caruba
I think the guy is weird.
The cigarette commercial is weird ... not that I object to cigarettes, but c’mon.
The way he’s handled the non-scandal has been awful. He went on Fox to accuse Perry of leaking this. the next day he said, maybe he was wrong.
Then he was gonna sue Politico. Then he realized Politico didn’t print anything that wasn’t true. Nasty of them to do it, maybe, but it was true.
He’s flailed around, blaming everyone but himself and looks much the worse for it.
But if you like him, fine. He probably represents the kind of appointments Cain will make to more serious positions.
Actually I do like Perry.
My order currently is Cain, then Perry.
But principle is principle. :) No hard feelings?
Ever wonder how we got "Bay of Pigs?"
You make a post like that and then wonder why folks are flaming you?
We’re all anonymous here which probably explains why people are willing to say things to me that they would never say to anyone they knew.
I didn’t make any charges. I stated my opinion.
I believe we still have a right to opinions here even if they’re not pro-cain.
If you hate sleazy lawyers, consider voting for Perry. He passed tort reform in Texas we are currently getting an influx of doctors as a result (from states where they’re being sued to death)
Are you sure you have been paying attention lately?
I understand but to say we don’t know much about Cain is not true. The man has a history his written columns, been on the radio for some time. I also know his faults as I do all of the candidates. It is true we have no idea on who he would apoint but do we really know? There are two candidates I wouldn’t trust on the appointment front and those are Romney and Huntsman. I’d vote for Perry in a heart beat but it is pretty clear to me that what I worried about with him is coming to fruition. He has the best ads of any candidate and I like many of his ideas all of which are conservative but he unfortunately reminds people of President Bush and I think that more than anything is hurting him. I fully thought initially he would run away with the race but then he had his ‘have a heart’ immigration moment and things just seem to have fell apart.
Michelle Bachmann has sufferred too. Her team remade her into a plastic stepford wife. I still can’t believe it but for me I will support the strongest conservative. I really like Cain’s story because it is the American dream. Will he be the perfect President? No but he will move us a step in the right direction and that is what I’m looking for and to make sure we work end up going decades back and end up with a Gerald Ford. We have an opportunity in 2012 and I don’t want it thrown away. Right now Perry just hasn’t shown the staying power. That may change but Cain love him or hate him has shown he can weather a storm whether we think he did it artfully or not and that is something none of the others have shown and against Obama there is going to be a storm like we’ve never seen and we need someone who will step into that storm and use it against him. Cain did that and that is a pretty amazing thing.
Yeah I thought about that.
The answer is to choose “experts” who do not all think alike.
To avoid groupthink. Obama’s administration is an example of how not to select advisors.
The entire bunch is communists. At least they could appoint a token enterpreneur in the bunch, you would think.
Anybody who claims Bill O’REilly is a conservative doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
Bears repeating — over and over.....
“That was a thoughtful post and I appreciate your not resorting to calling me a Perrywinkle.
I just think that too many people are putting total trust in a guy they don’t know much about.
He was a moderately successful business man, worked for the army, is obviously conservative and genial, was a talk show host that I never heard of, and has no record.
No record seems to appeal to people who want a blank slate to put all their hopes and dreams on.
This is his first foray into politics except for a failed senate run in which he didn’t even contend.
He’s never been vetted and, of course, there will be questions about him and to him, and he needs to be prepared to answer them.
His most well-known appointment so far is that weird guy who’s running his campaign. Is that the judgment he’d use in making political appointments?
See, we don’t know, and it serves us ill to be afraid to know.
It seems like people are looking for a kindly old grandfather to take care of them.
I want an experienced guy who’s got a record of the type of people he appoints, of the reforms he’s made and of the job-friendly atmosphere he’s created in a large state.
Although especially burdened with illegals and a large influx of poor Mexicans, legal and illegal, he’s still managed to keep Texas affluent and prospering.
Sorry for the riff on Perry which I’m sure will result in further insults but the difference in record is just so obvious to anyone who is not under some kind of bizarre spell.”
Granted, Herman Cain has been a bit less than reassuring with some of his answers regarding foreign policy but he hasn't said anything terribly wrong, either. I think he is just being cautious. Cain knows full well the MSM is seeking to discredit him and he is probably trying not to give them ammunition. Today, the world is in turmoil, thanks in part to Barack Obama, and no Republican candidate should attempt to offer 'solutions' for complex problems that either don't currently exist or for ones that do and are not amenable to a 30-second sound bite. However, Herman Cain will have to offer more details on his foreign policy outlook as the campaign progresses - and I'm confident that he will do so.
Those who attempt to dismiss Herman Cain as a non-serious publicity-seeker hoping to sell books and increase his future speaking fees are dead wrong and their attempt to insult Cain supporters is not appreciated. I believe that Mr. Cain is one of the more serious people in the nomination campaign. Far more so than people such as Jon Huntsman or even Ron Paul. The media (and Palin-haters) used the same lame tactics against Sarah Palin. "Doesn't have foreign policy credentials", "Not serious", "unqualified", "just wants to sell books and increase speaking fees", blah, blah, blah. Same old, same old. The leftmedia originates this crap and the anti-Cain posters regurgitate it all over FR threads. It will not deter Cain supporters and it sure won't help those trashing Cain thinking this will help 'their' candidate, whoever that may be. Cain's campaign is definitely in the ascendency and none of the GOP primary campaign also-rans are going to catch him with mockery, fake scandals or lame 'foreign policy' criticisms. It hasn't worked for the left and it sure won't work for the supposed 'right'.
Sarah Palin will not endorse Cain. Nor Romney. IF she endorses anyone and that’s a big IF, it will be Perry or Newt — in that order.
One of us misunderstands: I took your post 92 as a friendly joke and I was running with it.
Well, okay then.
What Cain says is mostly good.
What he’s done is mostly unknown.
But, I’ve said over and over that with all the doubts and fears I have about Cain and with all the insults I’ve suffered from some (not all) of his supporters, I will vote for him if he’s the candidate.
One thing that was a little unsettling on a thread this morning was how many people who were saying they wouldn’t vote if their candidate was nominated.
Or, they’d write in somebody. Or they’d vote 3rd party.
I’ve posted this before, but it bears repeating.
There are 4 ways to vote for Obama.
1. Vote for Obama
2. Write in a candidate
3. Vote third party
4. Don’t vote.
Perhaps.
However I would just point out that a number of Cain supporters became so, when Palin backed out.
The two are not altogether different.
You are correct.
people were vowing to write in or not vote if their candidate wasn’t selected.
It’s scary.(from earlier post)......and not very smart.
you may lose the battle (your choice)but do not lose the war.
Divided we will lose...i will vote for anyone but Obama and fight a few more battles,till we can win the war.
He may have, I don't recall. But if, God forbid, Romney wins the nomination, expect Cain to endorse him. If Romney taps Cain for running mate...well, I just may open a whole chain of crow restaurants.
That said -- yes, most of the other candidates would also endorse Romney, but their supporters wouldn't let it make their skirts fly up.
Sounds alot more like Perry than Cain!
No hard feelings here. :)
Not just your opinion. Mine as well. Word for word.
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