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CNN Scolds Herman Cain for Not Already Knowing 'All of the Facts'

By Matt Hadro | October 28, 2011 | 18:20

A  A

CNN put Republican candidate Herman Cain in the spotlight on Friday for his apparent lack of knowledge, accusing him of "dodging" tough questions. Cain had multiple times answered tough foreign policy questions by saying he would need to consider "all of the facts" before making an well thought-out decision.

"One of the things that I've always prided myself on is making an informed decision based upon knowing all of the facts," Cain stated during the May 5 Republican presidential debate. [Video clip below the break. Click here for audio.]

Apparently his conservative answers have raised the eyebrows of CNN's Wolf Blitzer, who questioned Cain's knowledge and readiness for the presidency because of his not already knowing "all of the facts." During Friday's segment, CNN's headline read "Cain Doesn't Have 'All of the Facts': GOP candidate dodges answering policy questions."

"Is that good enough, Steve, for a presidential candidate to repeat that when he may not necessarily have a great answer?" Blitzer asked a guest.

"Because it's obviously clear that to a lot of people out there he's a very likeable kind of guy," Blitzer said later of Cain. "People like him, but they also presumably at some point if he wants to be president, they're going to want to know where he stands specifically on all of these tough issues."

A transcript of the segment, which aired on October 28 at 4:42 p.m. EDT, is as follows:

[4:42]

WOLF BLITZER: Continuing the conversation on arguably the frontrunner, in at least some of the national polls right now, Herman Cain. Listen to what he often says when he's asked a tough question on national security, some other issues. Let me play this little clip.

[HEADLINE: "Cain Doesn't Have 'All of the Facts': GOP candidate dodges answering policy questions"]

(Video Clip)

HERMAN CAIN, Republican presidential candidate: One of the things that I've always prided myself on is making an informed decision based upon knowing all of the facts.

After I look at all of the information provided by the intelligence community, the military, then I can make that decision. I can't make that decision because I'm not privy to all of that information.

DAVID GREGORY, host, NBC's Meet the Press: You don't have a view –

CAIN: I could see myself authorizing all of that kind of transfer, but 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 –

I, as President, want to look at the Department of Education and make that determination when all of the facts are considered.

(End Video Clip)

BLITZER: Is that good enough, Steve, for a presidential candidate to repeat that when he may not necessarily have a great answer?

(...)

BLITZER: Because it's obviously clear that to a lot of people out there he's a very likeable kind of guy, Steve. People like him, but they also presumably at some point if he wants to be president, they're going to want to know where he stands specifically on all of these tough issues.
 

About the Author

Matt Hadro is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow Matt Hadro on Twitter.
  • Conservatives & Republicans
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  • Herman Cain
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Stop George Soros

Comments

Here's a known fact...

Submitted by KyWriter on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 6:29pm.

...Herman Cain scares the beejesus out of CNN, MSNBC, et al.

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"Oh yeah, I got swag...

Submitted by bkeyser on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 6:59pm.

because everybody needs toucan stubs."

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Thanks BK

Submitted by Boudin on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 7:09pm.

So funny,

Seek Truth, Defend Liberty
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You mean "READ THE BILL"?????

Submitted by Annie Ashe Fields on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 8:03pm.

Herman is being eminently reasonable.

He's telling them he'll govern the old fashioned way.

He'll read the bill, as it were.

Duh.

www.saltusa.com
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Annie, that's because the bills

Submitted by Jer on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 10:17pm.

will only be three pages. :-)

Jer

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Jer

Submitted by Radical1979 on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 10:26pm.

Well that would be an improvement.

Proud member of the 53%!
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You mean the REPEAL OBAMACARE BILL OF 2013?

Submitted by Annie Ashe Fields on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 10:33pm.

THAT 3 page bill? :)

www.saltusa.com
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Annie and Rad....

Submitted by Jer on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 10:55pm.

I think somewhere between 2400 pages and 3 pages lies a happy medium.

Jer

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Jer

Submitted by Radical1979 on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 11:05pm.

I don't know, our Constitution, which I think is the best plan for a government ever, fits into a little booklet I can fit in my pocket. To many pages means to many exceptions/loopholes etc. Keep It Simple.

Proud member of the 53%!
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Hey,

Submitted by Boudin on Sat, 10/29/2011 - 12:16am.

The lawyers need to make a few bucks also.

See how I am defending your profession Jer? Thats because I believe in liberty, you should try it

Seek Truth, Defend Liberty
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Jer

Submitted by well99 on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 11:42pm.

Jer why do we need a stack that makes War and Peace look like a comic book?Prepare for I told you so:Remember way back when a certain Cardinal was injured?I told you the season was still early?Congrats to the Cards.

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CNN Scolds Herman Cain

Submitted by needle on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 9:21pm.

CNN Scolds Herman Cain for Not Already Knowing 'All of the Facts

Sub-text: Herman, you are not watching CNN enough.

LOL! 100 points for Cain.

- Looking forward to the self-annihilation of the Manipulated Stories Machine.

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Obama didn't know all the facts

Submitted by exLib on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 9:26pm.

No Big Deal.

I can't remember who it was that said it, but it likely was Blitzer.

But during the primary or maybe after it, someone said that Obama was not properly vetted and didn't have enough experience and didn't answer very many questions with specifics.

Blitzer replied that it was up to the voters to decide these things, and that the voters had vetted Obama.

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The same Wolf Blitzer that

Submitted by ant on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 10:00pm.

The same Wolf Blitzer that got his butt handed to him on Jeopardy?
Anyone in the media should be embarrassed to talk about 'all the facts'. They regularly don't and/or won't report them.

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Typical

Submitted by GregE on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 10:11pm.

Americans think Presidential candidates are supposed to know everything about everything. Ever seen one say he doesn't know the answer to a question? Nope. Won't fly.

It's one reason why politicians often don't answer the question they are asked. They very often respond, but don't answer, so instead they treat it like a high school essay test question and just throw out a paragraph of BS that they think sounds profound just by the nature of it's complexity.

It's how we got our current President.

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WOLF BLITZER:

Submitted by GregE on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 10:16pm.

WOLF BLITZER: ".....Continuing the conversation on arguably the frontrunner, in at least some of the national polls right now, Herman Cain. Listen to what he often says when he's asked a tough question on national security, some other issues. Let me play this little clip......."

I remember this in 2008......

WOLF BLITZER: Continuing the conversation on arguably the frontrunner, in at least some of the national polls right now, Barack Obama. Listen to what he often says when he's asked a tough question on national security, some other issues. Let me play this little clip.

Obama: ".....Uhh, uhh............see uh, we uh......."

 

Oh, Blitzer didn't do that?  Oh, my bad.

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hmmm

Submitted by Fredy on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 10:22pm.

For 6 years CNN, and many others, berated George Bush for what they called 'making decisions without the facts'. Now, they are demanding decisions from candidates that do not have the facts.

Cain is exactly correct to reject any vague, or opinion laden question posed by the propagandists on the 'news' networks. These propagandists are simply trying to paint Cain into a corner.

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He's not a politician

Submitted by GregE on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 10:32pm.

Politicians often just "respond," they don't actually answer. Cain isn't a politician, and often doesn't just "respond." And unfortunately, it makes him look bad to the Americans that expect a know-it-all human as candidate.

People will say they are tired of the silver-tongued politicians, then they'll ridicule someone who isn't, and continually vote for the silver tongue.

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Liberals have all the answers

Submitted by exLib on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 10:33pm.

What was the constant line during Bush?

He arrested the wrong people, started the wrong war, pushes the wrong policies, we know better - "Nazi" Pelosi

Their entire campaign to take over the governement was, "We make all the right decisions, we are infallible".

So it's liberals that think they have all the answers and they think no one else is as smart as they are.

Conservatives tend to look to God and others for advice and make mistakes occasionally which liberals are quick to jump on.

When a liberal makes a mistake it's usually ignored.

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LOL

Submitted by MinneMike on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 11:15pm.

What Wolf and the other liberals are upset about is that they can't catch Cain in a mistake in judgment. Any good executive knows you don't make decisions when you don't have all the available facts given no time urgency.

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"Any good executive"

Submitted by GregE on Sat, 10/29/2011 - 12:08am.

.......hence our massive problem in current administration.

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sorry, I can't agree

Submitted by michiganruth on Sat, 10/29/2011 - 12:50am.

I adore Herman Cain. he's got a great story, he's pretty brilliant, and as an economic and business advisor (say, Secretary of Commerce or Treasury or something like that) he'd be incredible.

but still repeating "I will have to review the facts" 13 months out from the election is unacceptable. I would support Cain if it wasn't for his lack of knowledge of foreign policy. it's a real problem and I have to say...you people who keep denying it and pretending it's just some made-up media slander are not doing him any good.

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First, facts of what?

Submitted by RESTLESS 1 on Sat, 10/29/2011 - 2:26am.

Second, what facts do you think he's privy to?

I'd rather he wait for facts than poll numbers.

"I don't like repeat offenders, I like dead offenders". - Ted Nugent
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Restless~

Submitted by GG_NB on Sat, 10/29/2011 - 1:10pm.

Me too.

It's much more important that we know his principles and understand where he comes down on constitutional matters because that speaks to what course he will take with America. The facts change. I do believe Cain's principles will not -- he is real on who he is. He's not trying to camouflage himself like someone else did. Cain would also surround himself with advisors who share his ideals, so it's not a cop-out answer for him to emphasize that. Look at who O surrounded himself with -- enough said.

I would rather he be a little vague on some questions when on lib programs because they will take snippets out of context and run with it.

"If not us, who? If not now, when?"
~Ronald Reagan

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Foreign policy is what O

Submitted by ampul man on Sun, 10/30/2011 - 6:37am.

Foreign policy is what O makes it. Somewhat fuzzy.

Cain has already stated his philosophy with regard to FP (viz. friends and enemies).

CNN, the Clinton News Network---Bill decides; Hill reports

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Bararck Obama: "Due

Submitted by LAM SON 719 on Sat, 10/29/2011 - 2:16am.

Bararck Obama: "Due diligence, research, empirical studies, anaylsis, what are these things you speak of Wolf"?

Non, je ne regrette rien. "You aren't angry because I might be a racist, you're angry because you know I'm right".
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I don't know it all and the

Submitted by donsaliman on Sat, 10/29/2011 - 2:25am.

I don't know it all and the difference between me and those who say they know it all,is that I am telling the truth and they lie, even to themselves.

The same with Cain

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I Remember the Bush Doctrine, All Twelve Of Them

Submitted by Avitar on Sat, 10/29/2011 - 3:12am.

All too many of the MSM "Facts" are made of whole cloth and slippery things. Things like the right of return mean entirly differant things from one reporter to the other. In point of fact to the PLO it means the right to return to killing all of the jews in Isreil.

.

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You mean like Obama, who had

Submitted by jessieH on Sat, 10/29/2011 - 9:58am.

You mean like Obama, who had no experience, of any kind? He couldn't organize a bake sale!

                                                                                                                                                                    

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HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

Submitted by liberalsarefunny on Sat, 10/29/2011 - 1:04pm.

Nothing is more threatening to guilty white liberals than a black person who wanders off the liberal plantation and finally figures out that he can do just fine on his own, without his condescending white liberal overseers and their family destroying policies.

Therefore.......Herman Cain must be destroyed, at all costs!!

The Race Industry must be preserved, at all costs!!

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I guess Herman could do it the Soetoro way!

Submitted by ConservaSerb on Sat, 10/29/2011 - 1:52pm.

He can always support the people in another country that hate America the most! But only if they're Muslim Brotherhood.



A wise & frugal government, which shall leave men free 2 regulate their own pursuits of industry & improvement, & shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government. T. Jefferson
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Heaven forbid he wait to know

Submitted by Immortal Fish on Sat, 10/29/2011 - 4:42pm.

Heaven forbid he wait to know all of the facts when we already know the police acted stupidly.

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I wonder if Wolf

Submitted by ampul man on Sun, 10/30/2011 - 6:27am.

I wonder if Wolf remembers:

(possibly paraphrasing) "I don't have all of the facts, but the police acted stupidly".

CNN, the Clinton News Network---Bill decides; Hill reports

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