Former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain earlier this week raised quite a few eyebrows when he said that the United States needed a “leader not a reader,” as if you couldn’t be one and not another. He was offering the latest in his medley of defensive statements (on comments about China and nukes, sexual harassment allegations, brain-freeze on Libya, and decision to kiss off New Hampshire’s biggest Republican newspaper by cancelling an interview with them).
And now here is another Cainism: he says the Taliban is in control of Libya:
Do I agree with siding with the opposition? Do I agree with saying that Qadhafi should go? 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? … Do I agree with not knowing the government was going to — which part was he asking me about? I was trying to get him to be specific and he wouldn’t be specific.
Is the Taliban being in control of Libya news to you and to Barack Obama? I’m sure it is. It is also to the Taliban.
On the other hand, to be fair, some do argue that Cain is partially correct but didn’t use the best choice of words.
Still, let’s anticipate future Cainisms. He will likely say in coming weeks:
*If he’s elected he’ll capture or kill Osama bin Laden.
*The Palestinians should negotiate with Israeli Prime Minister Pope Benedict.
*Europe needs to work harder to bail out a member of the European Union that faces a grave crisis: Mexico.
*He’ll make sure the United States is prepared so Castro and his rebels don’t take control of Cuba.
*If he’s elected he’ll make sure they tear down that Berlin wall.
*He won’t comment on Red China except to say it would clash with an orange tablecloth.
*When asked about his reading, if someone asks him what he thinks of Kippling he’ll say: “I don’t know. I’ve never kippled.”
*He’ll express concern that the third party candidacy of Ross Perot could drain away Republican votes in 2012.
Remember: you read these here first at TMV where we not only analyze the news but anticipate it.
Note to Mr. Cain: You say we need a leader not a reader. It’s unlikely you’ll ever be the first and you’ve convinced us: you are not the second.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.