THERE ARE QUALIFICATIONS, AND THEN THERE ARE RIGHT-WING QUALIFICATIONS

Kevin Williamson of National Review's Corner expresses skepticism about Herman Cain:

Here is what troubles me. Mr. Cain says: "If the Restaurant Association did a settlement, I wasn't even aware of it, and I hope it wasn't for much, because nothing happened. So if there was a settlement, it was handled by some of the other offices that worked for me at the association, so the answer is absolutely not."

Okay, so if I’m reading that quote right, then:

1. Herman Cain, in his role as head of a major trade association, did not bother to learn how a complaint or complaints of sexual harassment against him was resolved.

2. Herman Cain, not bothering to have learned how a complaint or complaints of sexual harassment against him was resolved, decided to run for president without bothering to learn.

I got a lot of grief for writing that, based on my interaction with Mr. Cain, I would have hesitated to hire him to run a pizza company. I am feeling more comfortable in that judgment.

Mr. Williamson posts this under the headline "Why This Could Be the End of Cain."

But why would this be the end of Cain? Because it demonstrates that he has no management skills? Nobody who supports him cares about whether he really seems to have management skills, based on, y'know, empirical evidence. All they care about is the fact that he says he has management skills. He says it really, really insistently. That's enough for right-wing voters!

Ronald Reagan said he was a fiscally responsible leader who abhorred deficits. George W. Bush said he was a tough terrorist fighter who was going to get bin Laden dead or alive. Did either one of them live up to their talk? No. Did right-wing voters care? No. Delivering on promises doesn't matter. The voters wanted someone who talked the talk. That's all.

Herman Cain, therefore, is in the time-honored right-wing tradition. He doesn't have to be a good manager, or even a competent one. He just has to say he has management skills. That's enough.