Herman Cain Suggested He Believes Elements Of Taliban Involved In New Libyan Government

After stumbling on a question about the situation in Libya just days ago, Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain suggested on Friday that he believes the new Libyan government involves elements of the Taliban.

"Do I agree with siding with the opposition? Do I agree with saying that Gaddafi should go?" Cain said. "Do I agree that they now have a country where you've got Taliban and Al Qaeda that's going to be part of the government?"

The GOP hopeful's rhetorical questions were part of Cain's defense of his earlier gaffe. He made the suggestion at an Orlando press conference, according to Politico.

"Do I agree with not knowing the government was going to -- which part was he asking me about?" Cain said, referring to the reporter from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's editorial board who asked the presidential contender about Libya. "I was trying to get him to be specific and he wouldn't be specific."

Cain spokesman J.D. Gordon tried to downplay the incident, saying that the video was "taken out of context" and that Cain was running "on four hours of sleep."

"He didn't say anything wrong or inaccurate; it just took him a while to recall the specifics of Libya," Gordon said.

In an apparent effort to avoid another gaffe, Cain's campaign canceled a similar planned interview with the New Hampshire Union Leader that was supposed to take place on Thursday.

 

 

Comments

[Des Netto]

03:40 PM on 02/20/2012

Herman Cain would be out paced by Mr Magoo if they both ran for the White House,Me thinks his 9 9 9, should include nien nien nien, as this is his denial stance on all his fondeling accusations. DES NETTO

[ThomasPaineWeNeedYou]

07:09 PM on 01/15/2012

Cain who and why is he being covered?

[whapgra]

03:55 AM on 12/08/2011

not all clowns are in the circus.

[Deborah Mechlowitz]

09:43 PM on 11/28/2011

"Durpa Durpa!

[Joe Goforth]

03:16 PM on 11/24/2011

Al Qaeda flag in Libya
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8861608/Libya-Al-Qaeda-flag-flown-above-Benghazi-courthouse.html
It sounds like the Muslim brotherhood is going to be a player to. How do they feel about Israel these days. I think that grad missile launchers found their way through Egypt (other brothers helping brothers) to the Gaza strip with the Libyan flag still on the sides of the vehicles.
Sorry Herman, no Taliban though. When are we going to wise up and get out of this mess? Vote for Ron Paul and bring our troops home.

[rgbirdsong]

08:20 PM on 11/22/2011

The word IGNORAMUS is the perfect word for Herman Cain. If I may add that he is a FOOLISH IGNORAMUS, the picture becomes clearer. I wouldn't make him President over the ant colony in my house, or maybe I would, but nothing more. bbbbbbbbbbbbbboB

[Aurical]

12:48 PM on 11/20/2011

I believe that Mum-ra from "The Thundercats" is behind it! Neither of us have any proof either way to support the claim. Herman and I just pulled it right out of the air. Only problem is that people will actually believe him.

[annie345]

12:11 PM on 11/20/2011

What is so difficult about informing himself about the important issues? Doesn't he have people on his staff who are there and being paid, simply because they are smart and can break down important issues into easily understood chunks?Cain! Talk to these guys will ya? What? Are you saying there is no one who you know who can explain all these things to you over say, a power breakfast? Get with the program.

[Kiffanik]

07:23 AM on 11/20/2011

Why do his handlers keep letting him speak publicly? Hush it Herman!

[1jdgriff]

11:29 AM on 11/20/2011

No! Please don't hush! He is giving late night TV great material. He is certainly the "gift that keeps on giving" for comedians.

[goodtomeetyou]

06:58 AM on 11/20/2011

"Do I agree with saying that Gaddafi should go?"

That's still up for debate? *sigh

[snoopjohnny]

04:51 AM on 11/20/2011

Don't worry; once elected, Cain's going to have a handpicked administration with experience and knowledge about geography and politics. They'll give him great advice regarding foreign policy in the middle east. And stuff like that. You know.... like George W did. So don't worry....

[sharms]

03:38 PM on 11/20/2011

Amen and we all know how "great" a President W was, huh?

[MinneMike]

01:45 AM on 11/20/2011

As it turns out, Herman was right and all the clowns on the board are wrong. There assuredly is Taliban associates in the newly formed Libyan government. Don't you hate it when the truth says "You lie" and Herman was right.

Why, that makes you dumber than Herman!

[stephan67]

02:27 AM on 11/20/2011

You watch too much Fox News.Try to watch something else for a change.

[JustMe4848]

05:58 AM on 11/20/2011

Assuredly I would agree that one of the members of new gov. knew a guy that was acquaintances with a Taliban. The polls seem to be fairly truthful and his numbers are dropping like the cold Canada temperatures...

[MinneMike]

06:50 AM on 11/20/2011

I'm not sure how Cain being right about the subject matter relates to his dropping in the polls. The point is, the vast majority of the comments mock and ridicule Cain for being wrong when on this one he is right.

[critterzrool]

01:32 AM on 11/20/2011

"It took him a while to recall the specifics . . . ." He couldn't remember if Libya was the blonde or the brunette. (Props to Letterman's top ten.)

[1jdgriff]

11:31 AM on 11/20/2011

Thanks for the Sunday laugh!

[omobob]

12:13 AM on 11/20/2011

The Taliban? Herman is guessing again. It’s al-Qaeda, Herman. Lets get at least one thing right?

Libyan rebel commander admits his fighters have al-Qaeda links

Abdel-Hakim al-Hasidi, the Libyan rebel leader, has said jihadists who fought against allied troops in Iraq are on the front lines of the battle against Muammar Gaddafi's regime.

In an interview with the Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore, Mr al-Hasidi admitted that he had recruited "around 25" men from the Derna area in eastern Libya to fight against coalition troops in Iraq. Some of them, he said, are "today are on the front lines in Adjabiya".
Mr al-Hasidi insisted his fighters "are patriots and good Muslims, not terrorists," but added that the "members of al-Qaeda are also good Muslims and are fighting against the invader".
His revelations came even as Idriss Deby Itno, Chad's president, said al-Qaeda had managed to pillage military arsenals in the Libyan rebel zone and acquired arms, "including surface-to-air missiles, which were then smuggled into their sanctuaries".
Mr al-Hasidi admitted he had earlier fought against "the foreign invasion" in Afghanistan, before being "captured in 2002 in Peshwar, in Pakistan". He was later handed over to the US, and then held in Libya before being released in 2008.
US and British government sources said Mr al-Hasidi was a member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, or LIFG, which killed dozens of Libyan troops in guerrilla attacks around Derna and Benghazi in 1995 and 1996.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8407047/Libyan-rebel-commander-admits-his-fighters-have-al-Qaeda-links.html

[MGhamma]

12:00 AM on 11/20/2011

What's with the hat?

I've never seen a black man try sooooo hard to be black.

[Laura Vonnostren]

06:32 AM on 11/20/2011

Who Herman? I didn't know he was black. I know he is into blonde women...so I assumed he was white.