Herman Cain 'Misspoke' When He Said He Might Negotiate With Terrorists (VIDEO)

Herman Cain Admits Misspeaking

GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain claimed Tuesday evening that he'd misspoken earlier in the day when he said that he could envision a situation as president in which he'd negotiate with terrorists.

In an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer before the Republican presidential debate, Cain was asked to weigh in on the recent prisoner transfer between Israel and Palestine in which Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was swapped for hundreds of Palestinian detainees. Blitzer put the situation in an American context.

"[If] there were one American soldier who'd been held for years, and the demand was al Qaeda or some other terrorist group, you gotta free everyone at Guantanamo Bay, several hundred prisoners at Guantanamo, could you see yourself as president authorizing that kind of transfer?" Blitzer asked.

"I could see myself authorizing that kind of transfer," Cain responded. "What I would do is I would make sure that I got all of the information, I got all of the input, considered all of the options, and then the president has to be the president and make a judgment call. I could make that call if I had to."

Cain took a different position in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper after the debate, however, saying that he would not negotiate with terrorists. He said that his earlier statement was not reflective of his actual position.

“I misspoke,” Cain said flatly. “It was moving so fast, I misspoke. I would not do that, I simply would not do that.”

Cain went on to say that he wasn't in a position to judge the scenario in the Middle East, and that he had simply intended to convey his belief that you "gotta have all the facts" in such a situation. Cain also made similar remarks during the debate, saying "a responsible decision-maker would have considered everything."

Video above, via Mediaite.

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