My impression of Herman Cain’s press conference today, which he called to address mounting allegations of past sexual harassment, is that Cain succeeded in conveying the impression that in his own mind at least, he is telling the truth.

That does not resolve the facts of what may or may not have happened–it’s still a case of “he said, she said”–but it will likely reassure the bulk of Cain’s supporters.

What is noteworthy is that even though Cain took extensive questions from journalists, not one journalist, apparently, thought to ask Cain to answer simple questions arising from Sharon Bialek’s press conference with Gloria Allred in New York yesterday:

• Does Cain deny communicating with Bialek in 1997?
• Does Cain deny upgrading Bialek’s room in July 1997 at the Capitol Hilton?
• Does Cain deny having dinner with Bialek in July 1997 in Washington, DC?

These are questions to which answers could probably be found–eventually–by studying telephone records, the hotel registry, credit card receipts, and the like. Though Cain stated that he did not recall having met Bialek, his denials or evasions on the questions above would have been highly relevant if evidence was later discovered to corroborate Bialek’s claims.

Cain said that he would submit to a lie detector test. But the journalists present did not try to get Cain on the record, in the moment, about the facts. And I suspect that is because the facts are not actually that important to the media at this point. What is more important is the narrative the allegations serve to create–a narrative about Cain’s neophyte campaign, not his past conduct, his honesty, or even his personal life.

The essence of that narrative is that a relative political outsider like Cain is not ready for, much less welcome in, Washington D.C. Facts are interesting only to the degree they confirm or (to a lesser extent) refute that over-arching hypothesis about his candidacy.
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Isn’t it fun to watch one of the bad guys go down in flames?

We love the smell of burning hypocrisy and cheap political machinations in the morning, just after they’ve been barbecued by a real lawyer and truth-seeker.

The Huffington Post is reporting that everybody’s favorite, too-classy-for-words feminist attorney, Gloria Allred, has written a protest letter to CBS over their decision to run the Tim Tebow celebrate-life ad during this year’s Superbowl.

Ms. Allred’s complaint?  That the ad (which she has not seen) will imply or state outright “false” and “misleading information.”  You see, Ms. Allred contends that since Mrs. Tebow was living in the Philippines (as a Christian missionary) at the time she became pregnant with Tim, and that since Philippine law prohibits abortion, then she would not have – could not have – been advised by her doctor to have an abortion for health reasons.

Now, I’m no lawyer but I am a woman.  And every woman knows full well that women were getting counseled to have abortions for health reasons before abortion became legal in the United States.  In fact, doctors were performing D&Cs for women who were pregnant without a single soul outside the operating room being the wiser.  Even before Roe, doctors were advising an expectant mother about health problems and risks to her pre-born child.  It would surely take a fool to believe that doctors in the Philippines are so different. (more…)