Herman Cain May Be the GOP's Best Bet

In his Chicago Tribune column, Clarence Page writes a tongue-in-cheek endorsement of Herman Cain. He says it would be exciting to see the party of Abe Lincoln challenge President Barack Obama with a nominee whose ancestors -- unlike Obama's -- were freed by President Lincoln.

... Although I have not regarded Cain's chances with utmost respect ("No way," is my usual description), he's gaining acceptance. He's earning it. He's making himself matter on several fronts.

For one, polls show Cain's long-shot status doesn't look so long any more. He tripled his support to 17 percent, up from a measly 6 percent before the last three Republican debates, in the latest Fox News poll. That puts him in a respectable third place, right behind Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who fell to 19 percent from 29 percent a month earlier. That allowed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, holding steady at 23 percent, to regain his front-runner status.

Maybe Cain's recent upset victory with 37 percent of the delegates in the recent Florida straw poll was more than a fluke. Many of Perry's supporters found him to be not as far right or agile in debates as they had hoped. In a year of anger about Obama and internal divisions over the Grand Old Party's future, Perry's losses have helped Cain's gains. 

You hate government? Cain's your guy. He lost the only election he's run for. His entire career has been in the private sector. Take that, Texas Rep. Ron Paul.

Read Clarence Page's entire column at the Chicago Tribune.

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