Herman Cain is not a politician, something he reminds everyone constantly. He did so again yesterday, unwittingly, when he lashed out at Rick Perry over accusations that it took years for him to paint over a rock announcing the racist name of a hunting camp his family leased. A seasoned politician might have had a better understanding of how Republicans were going to respond to the Post story — that is, with outrage at the Post, not Perry. Cain either decided to speak from the heart regardless of the political implications, or he simply misjudged the situation, or both. Now he’s taking it back.
“I really don’t care about that word. They painted over it,” he said, referring to a sign painted on a rock at the property the Texas Governor once leased. The Washington Post first reported Sunday that the slur appeared on the hunting grounds’ gated entrance.
Yesterday Cain said in two separate TV appearances that Perry showed a lack of sensitivity in leaving the word up on the rock for as long as some allege. Today, he couldn’t care less. Finally, Cain is becoming a politician.
Cain: I’m ‘not playing the race card’ with Perry [Political Ticker/CNN]
Earlier: N-WordheadGate: Conservatives Are Outraged … at Herman Cain
