Herman Cain blame game (Eric Thayer/Reuters)



Herman Cain blame game (Eric Thayer/Reuters)



CAIN: There are some people who are Democrats, liberals, who do not want to see me win the nomination. And there could be some people on the right who don’t want to see me because I’m not the, quote/unquote, “establishment candidate.” No evidence. KRAUTHAMMER: But does race have any part of that? Establishment, maverick, yes. What about race? CAIN: Relative to the left I believe race is a bigger driving factor. I don’t think it’s a driving factor on the right. This is just based upon our speculation.

Herman Cain, responding to a line of questioning yesterday evening from Charles Krauthammer on Fox, saying that his sexual harassment problems are fueled by his political enemies, including not just Republicans, but also Democrats who dislike him because he's black.

First, Charles Krauthammer is pathetic. More than anything else, the thing he wants to hear from Herman Cain is that the political right isn't racist, but the political left is. But what the hell does Herman Cain's race have to do with this story? Nothing. I thought Republicans didn't believe in playing the race card, but it turns out that they are just fine with playing the race card ... as long as it's against the "other" side. How lame.

Second, Democrats and liberals don't have a problem with Herman Cain because of his skin color any more than we like Barack Obama because his skin color. Cain might not like to hear it, but the problem we have with him is that his ideas are bad. And we like President Obama because his ideas are better. Moreover, sometimes we even disagree with President Obama—but only when we think he's wrong.

Finally, and most importantly, Herman Cain needs to get a grip on the fact that this whole thing is his fault. If he did harass the accuser, then he needs to take responsibility for his actions. And if he didn't, he's got nobody to blame but himself for his utter incompetence in handling the story. That's what's keeping it alive—it has nothing to do with race. No matter how you look at it, this is a terrible week for Herman Cain, and it's a terrible week of his own making.