But what else do you expect?

Our political Quote of the Day comes from Mark McKinnon’ writing in The Daily Beast about Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s forgetting his own talking points at last nights GOP Presidential debate: Rick Perry is now the official Charlie Brown of presidential candidates. He reminds me of the kid who got held back in high school. Even though he’s been there longer than the rest of the class (or governor for 10 years), he still doesn’t know the answers. It’s one thing to not be able to tick...

Here is live blogging of tonight’s economy-driven CNBC Republican Presidential Debate at Oakland University in suburban Detroit. Although news attention remains on Herman Cain and the sexual harassment allegations against him (which sparked new partisan-motivated lows such as talk show host Rush Limbaugh going after an accuser’s 13 year old son) the bigger questions are a) will former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney come out of this more scarred or doing what he has not been able to do so...

We will be offering live blogging of tonight’s debate — live blogging from the viewpoint of an independent voter. TECHNICAL NOTE: The Internet at my hotel near Atlanta is a bit of a problem so the live blogging could be slower than unusual. Here is the final LIVE BLOGGING POST.

Chuck Pfarrer, a former Navy SEAL, who commanded the “same outfit” that carried out the strike on the Al Qaeda leader, has a new book out on the killing of Osama bin Laden titled Seal Target Geronimo: The Inside Story of the Mission to Kill Osama Bin Laden. In it, he says he wants to eliminate some myths about the operation. Here are five “bombshells” in the new book. It’s likely some of his assertions will be controversial and disputed. The Pentagon has already challenged some...

Presidents Obama and Sarkozy literally broadcast their private opinions of the Israeli PM, but they weren’t the first bigwigs to commit mic gaffes. CNN: Oops…

Dear Mr. Cain: When pressed by the media on lingering questions about sexual harassment allegations made against you, you seem to think that as a public figure you can unilaterally declare a story over and claim that journalists who persist are somehow violating a “journalistic Code of Ethics.” It’s a bogus response. FYI, journalists and editors have an unspoken “Code of Employment,” which means if they don’t ask tough questions they aren’t real journalists and editors and they’ll...

Herman Cain’s Campaign Manager Mark Block has blown more smoke. Only this time it isn’t coming out of his nose..

Is Herman Cain’s political roller coast ride not over yet? It sounds like he could have a challenging development coming soon and, if so, the print and broadcast media will be all over it. So far he’s blamed the liberal media, the Perry campaign and the “Democrat political machine” to the extent where he has raised Republican eyebrows. Who will he blame next? Suggestion to Cain & Company: if you’re trying to connect the dots, try to connect them so they…connect....

Andrew Sullivan (a TMV favorite) is live-blogging the Herman Cain press conference on sexual harassment allegations. GO HERE to follow it. Sullivan is always must-read live blogging. Great minds think alike. If I did live blogging, I would have opened like Sullivan did below: 5.06 pm. A lawyer makes two key arguments. One: the amounts paid to settle two harassment claims prove they were “nuisances”, not legitimate allegations. Two: it’s only credible when someone has actually filed...

Watch Herman Cain’s press conference on sexual harassment allegations live here: Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Give your reactions to the press conference in comments below.

A new Gallup Poll finds that beset former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain’s image is starting to be damaged among Republicans due to sexual harassment allegations: Herman Cain’s image among Republicans is starting to get worse amid claims that he sexually harassed several women in the 1990s. His latest Positive Intensity Score, based on Oct. 24-Nov. 6 Gallup Daily tracking, is 25. However, across the two weeks that make up that average, his score was 29 in interviewing conducted...

Is former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain’s Republican support slipping? He seemed to have to face softening support today — hours before he holds a press conference at which he is expected to paint himself as the target of a campaign out to get him by politically or financially motivated accusers. NUMBER ONE: A Republican Senator says he should quit if the allegations prove true. And the way this is stated is not a ringing endorsement of Cain: - Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski...

For now, at least, Herman Cain seems to be dropping his response about journalists needing to read the “journalistic Code of Ethics” if they ask him questions about sexual harassment allegations: in light of yesterday’s allegations-with-a-face-and-name that he groped a woman in the 1990s, he appeared in Jimmy Kimmel’s show last night to say almost with relish that his camp is taking the allegations head on and denied them. He’ll hold a press conference later today. Here...

It’s hard to believe that Herman Cain can continue to use the patently absurd argument that journalists asking tough questions as they are trained and hired to do need to read the “Journalistic Code of Ethics,” given the specific and sordid allegations that emerged at a news conference yesterday from a woman (reportedly a registered Republican) who says he sexually harassed her in a way that some contend goes beyond sexual harassment: Sharon Bialek alleged at a news conference...

The ongoing story involving former Godfathers Pizza CEO and front-runner-in-many-polls Republican Presidential candidate wannabe Herman Cain is proving to have legs: apparently two more. A new, fourth woman has reportedly surfaced to claim Cain sexually harrassed her and she has hired high-profile attorney Gloria Allred. And, unlike the others, she will be talking to the press soon — with Allred by her side: A new woman alleging sexual harassment by presidential hopeful Herman Cain will break...

President Barack Obama is now one year before his political judgment day. What’s his outlook as of today?CNN’s John Avlon makes these points: Some of the smartest political pros believe you can gauge a president’s chances of re-election by looking at just a couple of key indicators — job approval, unemployment and growth in gross domestic product. Plug in the data and you get the election outcome — pure, unsentimental and simple. To test this theory, I compared Obama’s...

There are now signs that the sexual harrassment controversy swirling around GOP Presidential hopeful Herman Cain is now negatively impacting his polling numbers with Republicans and other voters: Allegations that Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain sexually harassed women in the 1990s have begun to damage his bid for the White House, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found. The poll showed the percentage of Republicans who view Cain favorably dropped 9 percentage points, to 57 percent from 66 percent...

Boy, does Don Lemon’s book want to be reviewed. Over the past few months I’ve had a logjam of books, audio books that I have to review, delayed due to travel, a stolen laptop with all my notes, and two defective replacement laptops. These reviews will begin later this week. Due to a technical glitch for the second time the unfinished review notes have appeared on TMV. I have redated this review for later this week, when several reviews will begin in quick succession. We regret the error.

Dear Mr. Cain: I note that yesterday when you had your fascinating Lincoln-Douglas style debate with Newt Gingrich, you were pressed by the media on lingering questions about the sexual harassment allegations. You seemed to think that as a public figure you can declare a story over when there are in aspects you still need to clear up (you can tell by the questions that you have not answered them sufficiently) and that you can say a journalist who doesn’t listen to you somehow violates a journalist’s...

Pakistan has indicted 7 men in the killing of former Pakistani PM Benazir Bhutto: This was the assassination:

How do you spell relief? This way: It’s J-e-s-s-e V-e-n-t-u-a-’-s p-o-l-i-t-c-a-l c-a-r-e-e-r n-e-v-e-r w-e-n-t a-n-y f-u-r-t-h-e-r. Here’s why: Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura has pledged he will move to Mexico after a St. Paul judge threw out his lawsuit against the TSA. The Daily News reports Ventura’s suit alleged “that airport scans and pat-downs amounted to unreasonable search and seizure.” “I will never stand for a national anthem...

Andy Rooney, a former war correspondent, CBS’s longtime icon, a favorite of viewers, and a role model to those who aspired to broadcast and/or print commentary — someone who could write his copy as well as read it and communicate to viewers — is dead at 92. He had just retired last month: (CBS News) Andy Rooney, the “60 Minutes” commentator known to generations for his wry, humorous and contentious television essays – a unique genre he is credited with inventing...

RJ Matson, The St. Louis Post Dispatch Here’s a cross section of Herman Cain jokes done on TV by late night comedians (culled from various posts on the web): “Two women have accused Herman Cain of sexually suggestive behavior in the ’90s. He said no. He was just explaining to them his 69-9-9 plan.” –Jay Leno “Herman Cain is having to respond to charges he once sexually harassed women. One German woman kept saying, ‘Nein! Nein! Nein!’” –Conan O’Brien “When...

There is a new Republican “anti-Romney” political understudy waiting in the wings in case the currrent on-the-ascent-despite-a-scandal anti-Romney Herman Cain suffers the fate of Donald Trump, Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry. If Cain stumbles former House Speaker Newt Gingrich — who has taken great pains to be supportive of Cain despite their political competition for the Oval Office — is clearly poised now to jump into that position. After entering the race...