Iowa Ballot counter Edward True says it was Rick Santorum and not Mitt Romney who actually won the Iowa caucus. While the official vote total gave Romney an 8-vote victory the ballot counter says his 53-person caucus registered just 2 votes for Romney, not the 22 that were reported on the Iowa Republican Party’s website.

True asserts that the miscount means “Rick Santorum won Iowa—not Mitt Romney.”

For their part in the potential miscount party officials appear to be brushing off True’s comment, stating that he’s not the precinct captain and therefore shouldn’t be talking about the results. Officials say discrepancies won’t be discussed until all voter results have been certified, a process that could take weeks to complete, leaving Romney with the needed momentum heading into the New Hampshire primary.

For a state that prides itself for political savvy a political analyst told KCCI-TV in Des Moines

“This will make Iowa look a little foolish in the eyes of the rest of the country, which already questions the seriousness of the caucuses.”

That analyst goes on to mention:

 ”But in terms of Santorum’s results here, the caucuses have made him a player in presidential politics, and if he should nudge ahead of Gov. Romney for the final certified result, that’s really not going to make any significant difference at this point.”

Do you think Mitt Romney will have received unfair momentum if the miscount turns out to be true and Rick Santorum actually won Iowa?  If nothing else Republicans will have another voting count scandal on their hands.

Rick Santorum Won Iowa Says Ballot Counter is a post from: The Inquisitr

There’s a point when a political candidate needs to throw in the towel and agree to stop spending their political contributors money, for Michelle Bachmann that day should have been Tuesday when she received 5% of the Iowa Caucus votes and finished far behind her fellow competitors in sixth place.

Instead Michelle Bachmann has decided to continue her presidential run, announcing to supporters on Tuesday night that she was the only true conservative in the race that could defeat President Obama in a showdown.

The last place finish among all candidates who contested the state Bachmann told a very small crowd of supporters and reporters:

“There are many more chapters to be written on the path to our party’s nomination.”

“I believe that I am that true conservative who can and who will defeat Barack Obama in 2012.”

“What we need is a fearless conservative, one with no compromises on their record on spending on health care on crony capitalism on defending America on standing with our ally Israel,” she said.

Michelle Bachmann’s Iowa Caucus speech came just shortly after her campaign manager Keith Nahigian said he might leave the campaign.

The downfall of Bachmann comes after a strong Iowa GOP summer straw poll which showed her ahead of the back, however various strange answers and misguided political adds eventually strained her relationship with voters.

Iowa should have also been a strong showing for Michelle Bachmann because she grew up in the state and had showed much of her campaign support for the area by constantly visiting Iowa and spreading her conservative views.

A common response from Iowa voters could be heard on Tuesday as they said of Bachmann “it isn’t her time” and “she’s nice” but not Presidential material.

Are you surprised that Bachmann finished in sixth place or more shocked at the fact that she plans to continue wasting donor money by furthering her losses in other states?

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

Michelle Bachmann’s Sixth Place Iowa Caucus Finish Won’t End Her Campaign is a post from: The Inquisitr

Early polling results are starting to come in from the 2012 Iowa Caucus and voters are keeping the race in a virtual deadlock with Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney controlling 24% of the vote with Ron Paul not far behind with 22%.

Falling quickly from GOP voters good graces is Newt Gingrich with just 13% of overall votes and Rick Perry with just 10%.

As expected Michele Bachmann is all but done in the caucus with 6% of voter support while Jon Huntsman has clawed his way to 1%.

If the polling numbers remain close and a decisive winner is not chosen all three candidates vying for the top spot will have the ammunition needed to raise last minute funds as they inch their way towards other voting states in the coming weeks.

In an interesting pole one-third of voters in Iowa named “electability” as their reason for voting as they did, that number is up from just 7% of respondents in 2008 and provides Mitt Romney with a slight advantage over his GOP competitors.

Do you believe that electability is on the minds of voters as they choose who they want to be the next presidential hopeful for the GOP? Shouldn’t that always be the issue? I know I wouldn’t want to vote for the guy who can’t be the other parties President.

Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul In Dead Heat During Iowa Caucus Early Polling is a post from: The Inquisitr

It isn’t so surprising.  George W. Bush left office in 2009 with a 32% approval rating and was wildly disliked on the both the Right and Left for his two very unpopular wars, out of control spending and massive deficits.

Contrast that with President Bill Clinton, who left office with a 66% approval rating, a balanced budget and a surplus.  He was so loved even a sex scandal and subsequent impeachment by Congress didn’t stop the American people from adoring him.

If you look at what the Republican candidates are saying, it is anything but good when George W. Bush is involved.

Rick Perry succeeded George W. Bush in the governor’s mansion in Texas.  He always made it a point to trash bush when he could.

Newt Gingrich constantly refers to his time as Speaker of the House, back when the budget looked healthier and times were better.

Mitt Romney talks about his executive experience and how he is the one to return the country to a better time.

Rick Santorum mentions George W. Bush, but only in a vein of apologizing for voting with some of Bush’s bills while he was a Senator.

Funny enough, George W. Bush still has his supporters.  They feel that the two term President left the country a lot safer than when he took office and that in the end history will judge him kindly.

According to the Associated Press former Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer said. “Sad to say, they’re looking at polling data that indicates they’re better off not bringing him into the campaign.  I think President Bush has made America a safer nation and better nation and I’m proud of it. But politics isn’t about what’s fair, it’s about winning.”

How do you feel about the George W. Bush years?

George W. Bush is a Four Letter Word on the Campaign Trail is a post from: The Inquisitr

Mitt Romney decided to take his campaign to the point of negative but funny overkill on Monday when he compared President Obama to reality TV star Kim Kardashian.

During a campaign stop in Council Bluffs, Iowa the lawmaker revealed:

“I’ve been looking at some video clips on YouTube of President Obama, then candidate Obama, going through Iowa making promises,” while adding, “I think the gap between his promises and his performance is the largest I’ve seen, well, since the Kardashian wedding and the promise of ’til death do we part.”

This isn’t the first time that Mitt Romney has attempted to be in touch with modern day pop culture, he recently referred to the Twilight series which he says is his favorite.

In 2008 Mitt Romney drew slack from younger voters when he referenced the outdated “who let the dogs out.”

This isn’t the first time Obama has drawn odd comparisons, Romney compared him to Marie Antoinette.

His comment is still more pleasant than Rick Santorum who last January said President Obama should be pro-life since he’s black.

Romney’s President Obama comparison to Kim Kardashian arrived just in time for the Jan. 3 caucus in Iowa.

Do you think the comment made by Mitt Romney was warranted or a last ditch effort to gain some much needed attention as GOP voters take to the polls.

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

Mitt Romney Takes Jab At President Obama, Compares Him To Kim Kardashian is a post from: The Inquisitr

At the final stop of his Iowa tour, Mitt Romney told his supporters that he’s confident that he’ll win tomorrow’s vote.

Romney said to a crowd of about 500:

“We’re going to win this thing. (We’re going to) do everything we can to get this campaign on the right track to go across the nation and to pick up other states and to get the ballots I need, the votes I need to become our nominee.”

A Romney spokesperson told MSNBC that Romney wasn’t predicting the outcome of the caucus, but was saying that he was confident that he would win the nomination.

Romney currently leads the polls in Iowa, but the votes are pretty evenly spread between three candidates. Romney is the most popular candidate in Iowa with 24% support according to the latest poll, but Ron Paul sits in a close second with 22% and Rick Santorum is just a little further back in third.

Romney said:

“I need you tomorrow night. I need every single vote in this room, and I need you to get a couple of other votes from yours in your neighborhood.”

Romney also used his last stop to criticize President Obama. Romney said:

“I want to see America united. I watch a president who has become the great divider, the great complainer, the great excuse giver, the great blamer. I want to have an America that comes together. I’m an optimist. I believe in the future of America.”

According to the Huffington Post, Romney’s anti-Obama speech showed that he is more concerned about facing President Obama in the 2012 election than the other GOP candidates like Ron Paul and Rick Santorum.

Do you think Mitt Romney should win the GOP nomination?

Mitt Romney Confident Ahead of Iowa Vote is a post from: The Inquisitr

POLK CITY, Iowa – On Sunday, well-known reality TV star Jim Bob Duggar of TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting” hopped on board the Santorum-for-President bandwagon quite literally, driving to Iowa with a dozen of his children in a bus emblazoned with the words “Rick Santorum for President” on the side.

Duggar, a former Mike Huckabee supporter, had this to say about the 2008 election:

“The mistake we made was the whole political candidate field was splintered last time. A lot of Christians throughout the United States were supporting Fred Thompson and several other people. We don’t need to make the same mistake.”

Regarding his choice to throw his support behind Santorum, who is seeing new life in the polls, Duggar said:

“We’re calling on the Christian people throughout the United States to get behind Rick Santorum now, and don’t splinter the vote, get behind a true conservative with a proven track record.”

After coming in at the bottom of nearly every poll since the beginning of his campaign, Santorum found himself quickly rising in the polls after placing third in the all-important Des Moines Register poll Saturday night. Now the challenge is attaining an outright win Tuesday, giving him all the credibility he’d need for a national campaign.

“We have the momentum here,” he told the crowd. “I don’t know what we’re going to finish. It was really funny — David Gregory said to me on ‘Meet the Press,’ ‘Now, do you have to finish first?’ I said, ‘A week ago, two weeks ago, your reporter was asking me if I’m getting out of the race! Now all of a sudden you’re going to say I have to finish first?’ This is the craziness of the media.”

Though Romney still leads the Iowa polls (for now), Santorum is becoming a force to be reckoned with in conservative circles. The public support of reality TV star Duggar may be having exactly the effect he intended – though the conservative base is still quite splintered for now.

Do you think Duggar’s support will boost/has boosted Santorum’s White-House-Hopes?

“19 Kids and Counting” Star Trucks With Santorum Now is a post from: The Inquisitr

“The individual suffering from AIDS certainly is a victim — frequently a victim of his own lifestyle — but this same individual victimizes innocent citizens by forcing them to pay for his care,” he wrote in the book.

Paul went on to say that everyone in life makes dumb decisions and that doesn’t mean that innocent citizens should have to pay for them.

He also called the idea that society should pay for anyone’s care as a “Socialistic Attitude” and said that Insurance companies should be responsible for determining care.

In the same book, Paul said that there should not any type of law against Sexual Harassment.  He said that people can decide where they want to work and if they don’t like the way they are treated in a company they can go elsewhere.  He went on to write that there are already violence in the workplace laws to deal with harassment that goes too far.

Paul does not apologize for these comments and in fact stands by them.

Paul is currently polling second in Iowa, which holds the nations first caucus this Tuesday.  He says he is going to win because his supporters are way more loyal than anyone else. Some really recent polls show his standing slipping a bit.

Congressman Paul is often finding himself defending his views against the more mainstream candidates.

DO you agree with Congressman Ron Paul that AIDS patients bear the responsibility for their own diseases?

Ron Paul: AIDS Patients Bear Responsibility, Not Society is a post from: The Inquisitr

GOP Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich began crying during an Iowa campaign stop on Thursday when he was asked a question about his mother during a town hall forum full of mostly moms.

Speaking to the audience Newt said:

“Well, first of all you’ll get me all teary-eyed. Callista will tell you, I get teary-eyed every time we sing Christmas carols.”

Kit Gingrich died in 2003 at the young age 77 and as he spoke about his mother he chocked out a few hard to hear words and then said “Excuse Me” before righting himself with a joke.

“My mother sang in the choir. She loved singing in the choir,” he said. “And I don’t know if I should admit this, but when I was very young, she made me sing in the choir.”

Gingrich then broke down again as he explained his moms decline in health:

“I identify my mother with, uh, being happy, loving life, having a sense of joy in her friends,” he said. “But what she introduced me to is, late in her life, she ended up in a long-term care facility. She had bipolar disease and depression, and she gradually acquired some physical ailments.”

“And that introduced me to the whole issue of quality long-term care,” he said. “My whole emphasis on brain science comes in directly from dealing with — um.”

Finally Gingrich began to talk about real policy situations that affect real families like his own.

I personally find it comforting to know our politicians have the ability to show emotions anymore, at the same time a breakdown during international talks because the word “mom” comes up wouldn’t necessarily be the most presidential type response I would want to see.

What do you think about Newt Gingrich’s breakdown, was it a benefit or a hindrance to his campaign?

[Image via Christopher Halloran / Shutterstock.com]

Newt Gingrich Starts Crying During Iowa Speech is a post from: The Inquisitr

Speaking to Today, Santorum claimed his out-of-the-blue surge has “legs that the other candidates haven’t shown.” He added that his previous campaigns (Santorum defeated incumbent Democrats in a 1990 Congressional campaign and a 1994 Senate campaign) show he is the only GOP candidate who can challenge effectively for the presidency. He said:

“I’m the only one in this race that has a track record of winning elections in tough states. I have to think that’s one of the reasons that people in Iowa are looking at us and saying, ‘Wow, this guy has defeated, straight up, two Democratic incumbents in very tough districts and in a very tough state.’”

Admittedly, polls in some other parts of the country still show Santorum struggling. While he trails Romney by a relatively slim 9 percent margin in Iowa, the polls for the upcoming New Hampshire primary have him in fifth place, with just 4 percent. Romney is again first, with 44 percent.

It seems some of Santorum’s views – specifically his pro-life stance and his opposition to contraception of any form – do not play well to moderate GOP voters, who make up the bulk of New Hampshire. Santorum was asked about these topics by Today, and insisted the two issues were separate:

“My views on contraception are consistent with my Catholic faith. But as a person who was involved in the United States Senate for 12 years, I voted to allow contraceptive funding. That’s a fundamentally different thing than taking a human life. (Contraception is) something I don’t believe is right, but there’s a lot of things I don’t believe are right that the government shouldn’t be outlawing. Those are moral decisions that fall outside the law.”

So what do you think, readers? Could Santorum yet stage a remarkable comeback?

Rick Santorum Passes Newt Gingrich in Iowa Polls is a post from: The Inquisitr

Mitt Romney is on the defensive with his plans to cut government spending.  The Massachusetts Republican had to tell an audience in Iowa that “We are not going to kill Big Bird” when asked about his spending plans, according to the Huffington Post.  Romney wants Sesame Street and other public programming to be paid for by advertisements and not the taxpayers.

He also signaled that under his administration, the National Endowment for the Arts would also be cut, asked to survive on private donations and not taxpayers dollars.

Romney made a statement that basically spells out how he views every program in America.

“My test is, is a program so critical that it’s worth borrowing money from China to pay for it?”

Democrats were looking at his proposals to defund the arts with a bit a skepticism, as the National Endowment for the Arts and National Public Radio have long been a desired treat on the Republican Chopping block.

“The GOP should be less preoccupied with silencing cookie monster and more focused on reviving the economy,” replied Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.).

in 1995, when Newt Gingrich was Speaker of the House, Lowley had invited Bert and Ernie to testify before Congress when Gingrich tried to cut their funding then.

Romney says that when he is President he will cut $500 billion dollars a year from the federal budget by the end of his first term.  While this would be a drastic cut, it still would more than a trillion dollars a year short of a balanced budget if spending continues at its current levels.

Since losing to John McCain in the 2008 Republican Primary, Mitt Romney has been running an aggressive campaign to become the nominee to face President Barack Obama in 2012.  He is currently polling second in most key battleground states.

Watch a video of Romney telling the Iowa crowd his plans for Big Bird.

Mitt Romney: “I Am Not Going To Kill Big Bird” [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

ADEL, Iowa – Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum hunted pheasant alongside U.S. Representative Steve King to underline his conservative stances today.

Santorum, dressed in an orange hunting jacket and cap with the letters “NRA” stitched in, told reporters, “I make the argument that there’s nobody who’s done more for the Second Amendment and been stronger on that issue than I have,” shot-gun in hand.

He continued by warning of Obama’s potential re-election and the effect it would have on gun rights. He pointed to the 2008 Supreme Court decision in the Heller case, which broke down D.C.’s strict gun control laws. He said:

 “If you read the dissent in Heller, no gun owner should feel comfortable this is a secure constitutional right according to this Supreme Court, and that’s why we need a good, strong Republican conservative who understands what it means to appoint and confirm solid judges and justices.”

“I think some people who did not get the endorsement are trying to stir the pot to make it what it isn’t. …If you’re going to endorse somebody, you want to make sure that your endorsement is out there among the people that follow you as supporters of his. That’s all he was saying to me; I didn’t think anything of it.”

“I’ve got a few days yet before a decision has to be made. I want my head and my heart to come together, and when that happens, and if that happens, I’ll jump in with both feet. I hope it’s not after the ship’s already left, but it could be.”

Rick Santorum Still Shooting For Iowa Caucus Success is a post from: The Inquisitr

Republican Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich got an earful from a voter in Iowa today and the angry Iowan spoke directly into the camera on CNN.

“You’re a F****ing A$$hole, you know that right?” the man said to the ex-speaker as he hit the rope line to shake hands with supporters.  Gigrich has seen his numbers spike over the last few weeks but has recently seen them drop in the key states of Iowa and New Hampshire.

Iowa holds the first in the nation caucus on January 6th.  As recently as last week Gingrich took the lead from fellow contenders Mitt Romney and Libertarian Ron Paul, but as voters get to know him there is a word they associate with him more than the swear words, due in large part to anti-Gingrich advertising coming form super PAC’s who support Romney.

“Baggage” is the word of the day, and even though voters claim to have forgiven Gingrich for a lot of it, it seems to be the word that keeps coming up over and over again.

“Newt has too much baggage”, Gingrich is a bright guy but boy does he come with baggage”

These are but a few of the comments that are being heard daily by primary voters who want to believe in the former speaker, but just can’t bring themselves to do it.

The baggage they are referring to is a long list of transgressions Gingrich has committed since his days as speaker.  He has been unfaithful in two separate marriages, has taken millions in consulting fees from Freddie Mac (the government mortgage giant which melted down and required huge infusions of taxpayer cash) and although he claims to be the lone conservative voice in the field, he has worked with ultra liberal members of the House like Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Do you think Newt has way too much baggage?

Gingrich Slammed on Camera, Cursed at by Iowa Voter [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The issue of immigration came up again in last night’s Republican presidential debate, with Newt Gingrich taking a tougher stance.

Though the economy is arguably the de facto issue upon which many voters will base their decision in next year’s election, other issues, such as immigration, continue to make rounds and raise eyebrows in the political spectrum.

Newt Gingrich has been criticized by his rivals in both parties for his perceived flip-flopping on a variety of issues, but took the opportunity last night to lay down tougher rhetoric concerning the issue of immigration. Though he stands by his prior statements concerning the injustice regarding deportation of undocumented immigrants with families who have called the U.S. their home for more than 25 years, Gingrich advocated the dropping of lawsuits against tough immigration states like Arizona and Alabama, a secured border by 2014, and the prohibition of “sanctuary cities”; towns thought to be soft on immigration.

“I would propose cutting off all federal aid to any sanctuary city that deliberately violated fed law,” said Gingrich.

With recent polls suggesting that most voters, Republicans included, believe that undocumented workers should be provided with a path to legalization, it remains to be seen whether or not Gingrich’s words will affect his current status as Republican frontrunner.

Last night’s Iowa debate was a mere 19 days away from the Iowa Caucus, set to take place on January 3^rd, 2012, the first major electoral event during which political parties will be choosing their respective candidates.

Do you think that Gingrich’s new stance on immigration will affect his potential for Republican nominee? Whether you’re conservative, liberal, or luddite, what do you think of the debates thus far?

Newt Gingrich Reveals Strengthened Stance on Immigration At Iowa Debate is a post from: The Inquisitr

As if her campaign wasn’t already in enough trouble reports are circulating that staffers for Michele Bachmann stole an email list belonging to the Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators (NICHE) and then sent spam emails to their homeschooling participants.

The “co-opting” of the email list according to the organization was taken and used without permission.

According to NICHE they realized the spam was occurring when two emails were sent to the list from the Bachmann campaign.

In the meantime it has been determined that one NICHE board member is a paid employee for the Bachmann campaign although the group’s President says the campaign’s mistake was “inadvertent” and that the campaign does not endorse Michele Bachmann for President.

Now that the email has been sent Federal law requires that NICHE charge a usage fee to the Bachmann campaign and then offer other Presidential hopefuls the chance to pay for two emails that can be sent out to their homeschooling members.

If the Bachmann campaign is found to have used the list without any expressed permission from the group how do you think the issue should be dealt with?

TheIowaRepublican.com obtained the following message from Justin LaVan, the group’s president:

I want to apologize on behalf of the NICHE Board and advise you that we discovered that our list of homeschool contacts was uploaded without our knowledge or permission by the Michele Bachmann Campaign and used twice for e-mails from her campaign. We have been assured by the Bachmann Campaign that it was inadvertent. Due to safeguards built into our contact list, we immediately recognized the use. That same day NICHE contacted the Bachmann Campaign and instructed them to cease any further use of the NICHE list, to which they immediately took the necessary corrective actions to correct the situation. By the next day, the Bachmann Campaign was able to find that portion of their database that contained the NICHE list, and we have received written assurance that our contact list was completely deleted.

NICHE has now added even greater protections to the NICHE homeschool contacts list to attempt to eliminate any further mistaken transfers or unauthorized use. Like you, we value our privacy, and NICHE is committed to protecting your confidential personal information in every way we can. NICHE has never shared or sold the use of the NICHE contact list in the entire 20 years of NICHE’s existence – and we will continue this policy. Moreover, NICHE does not endorse or support any candidates.

However, due to federal legal issues surrounding the unauthorized use, NICHE is forced to take several steps to rectify this situation. Because the Bachmann Campaign did receive the benefit of two emails to the contacts on our list – even though NICHE did not authorize this use in any way – we now must require the Bachmann Campaign to pay for the reasonable value of that usage. Further, in accordance with the legal requirements, NICHE must allow all the other campaigns the equal opportunity to pay for two similar e-mails to the contacts on the NICHE list. If the other campaigns decide to pay and send the two e-mails, NICHE will send the e-mails directly without sharing or compromising our contact list in any way.

Again, this one-time procedure is the unfortunate result of this incident and the actions NICHE is required to follow under the federal laws. I sincerely apologize and seek your understanding in this.

In His Service,

Justin E. LaVan
President
Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators

Michele Bachmann Campaign Engages In Spam, Steals Homeschool Organizations Email List is a post from: The Inquisitr

Herman Cain came into the GOP presidential primary a little bit late and quickly skyrocketed to the front of the pack but now amid a sexual harassment scandal the Republicans numbers have plummeted.

According to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll Cain “unfavorability” rating has increased to 44%, up 17 points since news of a sexual harassment payout to several former employees was revealed.

In the poll just 29% of respondents viewed Cain positively and according to ABC:

“The results suggest that essentially everyone who’s formed an opinion of Cain in the past month has done so negatively.”

In other words only those people who supported Cain before the sexual harassment scandal appears to stand beside their man at this time.

Cain also hasn’t been helped along by a world policy gaffe he made in a recent interview. While speaking about President Obama and his stance on Libya Cain was asked if he agreed with Obama’s stance on Libya to which Cain responded

”Okay, Libya…” then after a long pause he noted:

 ”President Obama supported the uprising, correct? President Obama called for the removal of Gaddafi… Just wanted to make sure we’re talking about the same thing before I say, ‘Yes, I agreed. No, I didn’t agree.’”

After several minutes of answering questions with random generalities the GOP presidential hopeful stopped and said that he agreed with the President’s decision and noted:

“I got all this stuff twirling around in my head.”

Here’s the full Herman Cain Libya interview:

Given that the President of the United States likely has even more “twirling around in their head” it wasn’t a shining moment for the Cain camp.

Speaking to the Washington Post about the Cain gaffe former press secretary for President George W. Bush, Ari Fleischer said:

“Cain’s fundamental problem is being an outsider has its advantages but unless he can display sufficient grasp of the issues, his support will hit a ceiling,” and “The weaker his grasp, the lower the ceiling and he’s starting to bump his head against it.”

That lack of a “sufficient grasp” of the issues for Cain hasn’t been isolated to just one question, you may recall that during a presidential debate in South Carolina back in May Cain said he hadn’t formulated a plan about what to do in Afghanistan because “it’s not clear what the mission is.” In his full statement Cain said of the situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan:

“That is a decision that I would make after consulting with the commanders on the ground, our intelligence sources, after having discussions with Pakistan, discussions with Afghanistan, and here’s why,” Cain said.  “It is unclear where we stand with Afghanistan…as president, I will make sure that the mission is clear and the definition of victory is clear.”

Military officials in the Afghanistan region were quick to shoot down Cain’s lack of understanding about the situation in the country.

Here’s the debate in which Herman Cain provided his answer (Cain speak at 5:13):

It’s not just U.S. based publications that have recently pointed out the errors Cain has made, the UK owned Telegraph recently wrote of his performances when put on the spot, specifically the Libya question:

“It was open-ended and about an issue that has been front-page news during his candidacy. There was no trick or trap in there.

But he answered it somewhat less competently than your average 13-year-old, flipping through his mental filing cabinet of briefing notes before eventually dredging up a few tired talking points that he recited incoherently. He tried to dress it up with his patter about being a businessman who listens to points of view and then makes a decision but it just didn’t wash.”

In the words of Byron York Cain has ”Left viewers with the impression that his foreign policy would be to hire good people to tell him what his foreign policy should be”.

Throw in his ridiculed 9-9-9 plan ( 9% tax on income, 9% tax on business and 9% national sales tax) which Jon Huntsman thought was a catchy phrase for “the price of a pizza” and it’s easy to see that GOP members and much of the general public are now rallying against Cain.

If Herman Cain has one strength (or perhaps it’s his weakness) it has been his ability continually offer generalities that fire up his base, even if they do very little for a general voter base. During a talk in front of 200 Iowa supporters on Tuesday morning Cain said:

“My overriding philosophy relative to national security and foreign policy is an extension of the Reagan philosophy. Peace through strength,” Cain said. “We need to clarify our relationship with friends and enemies around the world and make sure we stand with our friends.”

It’s a nice philosophy to live by and from a layman’s standpoint it makes sense but it hardly constitutes a firm position regarding world matters and it definitely doesn’t highlight Cain’s understanding of the world stage.

It’s not all bad news for Cain supporters though, he’s still doing fairly well in Public Policy Polling with 25% of voters supporting his views however latecomer to the race Newt Gingrich has overtaken Cain in recent polling with 28% of voters supporting his ideas while Mitt Romney is currently trailing in third place with 18% of voter confidence.

A recent Bloomberg News poll poll in Iowa has also shown that Cain still holds an edge over his fellow GOP member in Iowa, an important factor given that Iowa voters are the first to hold a national Caucus on January 3rd. Cain is followed close behind by Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich following closely behind.

I’m an adamant believer that polling numbers mean very little given the swinging interests of voters leading up to a major election cycle, however the actions of a politician can often be a better judge of how they will perform, if that’s the case Herman Cain is in for a world of hurt when voters takes to the voting booths in January 2012.

Will you be voting for Herman Cain when the January 2012 primary election roles around or have you already moved on following his various gaffs?

[Image via Cheryl Casey / Shutterstock.com]

Herman Cain’s Poll Numbers Plummet Amid Various Gaffes, Iowa Numbers Hold Strong is a post from: The Inquisitr

18-year-old Jeremy Minnier has become the new mayor of his small town after write-in ballots from fellow residents helped the youngster claim the cities top officiating post.

Minnier wasn’t even on the ballot for the Aredale, Iowa election but received 24 write-ins for his governing post. In a town with 74 residents Minnier’s write-ins are equaled to a near landslide.

According to the Des Moines Register the youngster beat out the towns 76-year-old incumbent who wished his successor the best of luck at his new position.

Speaking about his win Jeremy noted:

“I’ve been a leader my whole life.”

Jeremy continued:

“A lot of people were surprised because I’m not the most outspoken person at school.”

While he may not be the most active member of his school he is in the band and a member of Future Farmers of America (FFA).

Minnier will serve a four year term while studying landscaping at a local college which will keep him close to his new post.

In the meantime the Minnier family has started their own “small town political dynasty” as Minniers father previously served as his towns mayor while his brother-in-law was also just elected as the mayor of a neighboring community.

Do you think an 18-year old high school kis can be a good mayor? While I wouldn’t put him in charge of a large city just yet I’m confident he can do just as good a job as other small towns who have hired dogs to be their mayoral leaders.

18-Year-Old Wins Mayorship In Small Iowa Town is a post from: The Inquisitr

Florida recently set their primary voting period for Jan. 31 in an attempt to have their “voice heard first” and to “make their voice count” and now as a slap in the face to the southern state South Carolina has announced that their own voting day will occur on January 21.

South Carolina GOP Chairman Chad Connelly told CNN:

“Last Friday, a nine-person committee brought chaos to the 2012 calendar,” while adding, “Today, South Carolina is making things right.”

With the announcement of a Jan. 21 voting schedule the countries traditional first voting states Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada are almost certain to announce even earlier voting times to offset the changes to the current schedule.

Nevada over the weekend voted to hold their caucuses five days after the New Hampshire primary, a move that violates a law which requires that voting occur seven days after the New Hampshire voting period.

In the meantime it will be interesting to see what type of sanctions the GOP places on states that have changed their voting schedules, Florida is already expected to lose delegates for their choice to move against the GOP.

Do you think early voting in some states really helps create a lopsided race for certain candidates or is it much adieu about nothing?

South Carolina Sets Primary For Jan. 21, Laughs In The Face Of Florida is a post from: The Inquisitr

Michele Bachmann isn’t sounding so sure of herself and her campaign these days, during an appearance on an Iowa radio station this week she was asked if she had to win Iowa’s caucuses to keep her presidential campaign alive, a question she danced around until asked the third time at which point she responded in an uncertain voice:

“No, no, no, no,” while adding, “Not necessarily; we might go on.”

It was one of those rare occasions when Bachmann wasn’t her cheery self when discussing her campaigns path.

In the meantime her “late competitor” Rick Perry has gained steam along with fellow GOP member Mitt Romney who have pushed Bachmann out of the debate spotlight while much of Bachmann’s original Tea Party supporters have shifted their focus to Perry who’s religious views are not seen as far outside of the mainstream.

One longtime Iowa GOP operative told the L.A. Times:

“She’s a great candidate but has turned into a really bad campaigner,”  while adding, “She has not gone to northwest Iowa, to the heart of where her support would be. Of Iowa’s 99 counties, she’s only visited a handful, most of which are urban counties. She needs to go out to the rural counties — she would be well received.”

Adding to Bachmann’s demeanor is likely the fact that crowds for her most recent outings have dwindled while valuable airtime on major networks and cable stations have been handed off to her competitors.

In the meantime Michelle Bachmann is claiming that her drop in the polls is related to the “flurry of excitement” over Texas Governor Rick Perry entering the race, telling a reporter:

“We’re very grateful for where we’re at right now,” while adding, “We think we are positioned perfectly right now.”

Bachmann’s own campaign manager Keith Nahigian wrote about the importance of Iowa in a fundraising appeal to supporters.

“It’s extremely hard for any candidate to win both Iowa and New Hampshire,” and “Thus for Michele, the early state is Iowa — and we plan to run aggressively and to win decisively.”

Do you think Michelle Bachmann stands a chance?

Michele Bachmann Losing Steam in Iowa is a post from: The Inquisitr

On the night of July 4, professional storm chaser and photographer Mike Hollingshead caught sight of a whirlwind of insects in the air so thick, that “it looked like it was smoking,” Hollingshead told science news website, LiveScience.com.

After capturing the strange phenomenon – which he later dubbed a bugnado – on camera, Mike uploaded the video to the web, and, not surprisingly, it has since gone viral.

So what exactly is a bugnado?

Joe Kieper, an entomologist and executive director of the Virginia Museum of Natural History, explained that they are actually swarms of either mayflies or midges, two types of insects that spend their immature stages of life as aquatic nymphs, then rise to the water’s surface, grow wings, and take flight as adults.

At that point – with their lives nearly over – they have just one duty left: reproduction.

“This is a mating flight,” Kieper revealed. “The males are trying to impress the females, and the females select a mate. No one knows what the females are looking for when they choose a sex partner from among the masses.”

Regardless, after the new pair mates in an airborne frenzy, the males die. The females head back to water to lay their eggs, and then they die, too.

Behold the amazing vortex of insects known as the bugnado:

via The Lookout
Image: Extremeinstability

Rare Bugnado Caught on Camera in Iowa [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr