Herman Cain became flustered Monday when asked to assess President Barack Obama’s policy toward Libya, raising new questions about his command of foreign policy as he went from awkward pauses to halting attempts to address the issue. Video of Cain’s appearance at The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel went viral online after it was posted.
“President Obama supported the uprising, correct?” he said. “President Obama called for the removal of Gadhafi — just want to make sure we’re talking about the same thing before I say ‘Yes, I agree,’ or ‘No, I didn’t agree.’ “
Cain said he disagreed with the president’s approach “for the following reasons” — then changed course. He said: “Some people want to say, ‘Well, as president, you’re supposed to know everything.’ No, you don’t.”
His comments came after a string of other provocative remarks about foreign policy and related issues. Those include a statement published Monday in which Cain suggested that most American Muslims are extremists; a contradictory answer about waterboarding during a primary debate; and his statement that if al-Qaeda or another terrorist group demanded, he would consider authorizing the release of every detainee at Guantanamo Bay in return for the release of one U.S. soldier.
Spokesman J.D. Gordon said Cain had not been at his sharpest in Milwaukee because of a long day of traveling. The New York Times
