PJ: Like Palin before him, Cain likes to say that he has a Reaganesque view on foreign policy: "Peace through strength", stating, "We need to clarify our relationship with friends and enemies around the world and make sure we stand with our friends." Sadly, neither he nor Palin know much about the world they inhabit (yes, Mr. Cain, it is important to know about Uzbekistan not "Ubeki..beki beki stan stan" http://thinkprogress.org/security/2011/10/20/349114/karzai-clinton-cain-ubekibekibekistanstan-wasnt-right/).
The question then becomes, how can you clarify your relationships if you know nothing about them?
The Guardian
Herman Cain suggests Taliban are playing a role in Libyan government
Republican presidential candidate makes mistake while attempting to explain earlier confusion over Libya
Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has suggested that the Taliban are playing a role in Libya's new government, adding another foreign policy misstep to his stumbling campaign.
The week opened with Cain struggling to answer whether he supported US president Barack Obama's foreign policy in Libya. He ended it trying to blame reporters for the moment, which was captured on video and quickly spread around the internet.
Cain's critics seized on Monday's incoherent answer as the latest evidence that he is unprepared to be the party's nominee. On Friday, Cain gave his critics more grist for their increasingly substantial mill.
"Do I agree with siding with the opposition? Do I agree with saying that Gaddafi should go? Do I agree that they now have a country where you've got Taliban and al-Qaida that's going to be part of the government?" Cain asked reporters in Orlando, Florida. "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."
The Taliban were ousted from power in Afghanistan and are now scattered in Afghanistan and Pakistan, a continent away from Libya.The Republicans are trying to find a nominee who can both unseat Obama in the general election and appeal to the party's conservative base.
Mitt Romney has been a leading contender throughout the race for the nomination as other challengers have risen and fallen against him, but so far Romney has struggled to win over conservatives.
Cain's recent stumbles have helped open the door for former legislator Newt Gingrich, but he is facing renewed scrutiny for his past as a Washington lobbyist and government insider.Cain's latest error comes as he is trying to reassure his supporters that he has the foreign policy background the presidency requires.
"My overriding philosophy relative to national security and foreign policy is an extension of the Reagan philosophy. Peace through strength," Cain said in Iowa this week. "We need to clarify our relationship with friends and enemies around the world and make sure we stand with our friends."
It was a clearer explanation than he offered a day earlier in Milwaukee.
Cain hesitated when asked whether he agreed with Obama's decision to back Libyan rebels in overthrowing Gaddafi."I do not agree with the way he handled it for the following reason," Cain said .
"Uh, nope that's, that's a different one," said Cain, who fidgeted in his chair and crossed his legs. "See, I got to go back, see, got all this stuff twirling around in my head. Specifically what are you asking me, did I agree or not disagree with Obama?"
Cain's campaign has been going through a rocky stretch that began with questions about his loyalty to opposing abortion rights, but that issue was quickly eclipsed by the sexual harassment allegations involving former subordinates when he headed the National Restaurant Association. His lead in the polls has dwindled, and the odds on him being selected continue to lengthen.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/19/herman-cain-taliban-libyan-government
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