Cain suspects China is"trying to develop nuclear capability.”They've had nuclear weapons since 1964.

[Pirate Smile]

@ThinkProgress Cain says he suspects China is "trying to develop nuclear capability.” They've had nuclear weapons since 1964. http://thkpr.gs/vB2K4Z

https://twitter.com/#!/thinkprogress/status/131558719048790017

Herman Cain Worried About China ‘Develop(ing) Nuclear Capability,’ Despite 50-Year Nuclear Program

The post-sexual harassment Herman Cain media blitz that has kept up all week has done a great deal to understand the workings of the Cain campaign in crisis, but there is one other element of Cain’s platform that seems to be getting hit the hardest by his exposure to the press: his foreign policy credentials. Tonight on The O’Reilly Factor, Cain essentially said he was ready to declare war on Iran; last night on PBS’s Newshour, he told Judy Woodruff he suspected China was “trying to develop nuclear capability,” despite having nuclear weapons since 1964.

Woodruff began the interview asking whether China was “a potential military threat to the United States” in Cain’s eyes. Cain answered in the affirmative, and responded that in order to neutralize the threat, he would “outgrow China” economically. Then he noted that the threat was assuaged significantly by the fact that “we already have superiority in terms of our military capability.” “I plan to get away from making cutting our defense a priority,” he noted, stating his motto as “peace through strength and clarity.” He then turned to the threat he saw he would need to stop: “they’ve indicated that they’re trying to develop nuclear capability and they want to develop more aircraft carriers like we have.”

The problem with this claim, of course, is that China is not exactly “trying” to develop nuclear capability any more than America is– they staged their first nuclear weapons test in 1964. Cain didn’t clarify what he meant by that phrase, but it certainly doesn’t make him look particularly knowledgeable to not know that China has nuclear weapons. Woodruff, on her part, did not comment on his statements and moved on to another topic, seemingly unaware of the fact that Cain’s statement seemed to belie the fact that he had no idea that China was a nuclear nation, and that this is common knowledge in the political world.

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/herman-cain-worried-about-china-developing-nuclear-capability-despite-50-year-nuclear-program/

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

1. Did he at least correctly pronounce the word "nuclear"?

If so, it still makes him the most qualified Republican in the field.

[Mojambo]

2. What's more scary?

That Cain is a front-running presidential contender or that Judy Woodruff gets paid to ask questions of front-running presidential contenders?

[Lint Head]

3. Wonder if he thinks Germany might invade Poland?

[burrowowl]

4. Cain is dangerously IGNORANT!

[rug]

5. They're no threat unless they put Godfather's pizza in the warheads.

[kestrel91316]

6. This frightening gaffe also flew right over Judy Woodruff's pretty blonde head.

[Jack Rabbit]

7. This guy is starting to make Palin look good.

At least, that's the sort of thing I would expect her to say.

[mwb970]

16. Palin quit her job to fleece the rubes.

Cain is fleecing the rubes while running for president. That's some chutzpah, as Bachmann would say.

[stevenleser]

8. Stanley Kubrick and Peter Sellers are somewhere looking at each other, shaking their heads and

smiling.

[Kennah]

9. You say that China has had nuclear weapons since 1964 ...

... but I don't have the facts to back that up.

[MADem]

10. OMG, he is so damn STOOOOOOOOOOOPID! nt

[safeinOhio]

11. Just another joke.

Come on get a sense of humor.


:sarcasm:

[abelenkpe]

12. I'm not sure which is more shameful Cain or Woodruff? Nt

[DRoseDARs]

13. What probably happened was a brain fart: His brain shifted from China to North Korea...

Of course, that doesn't make it any better. Time to pack it in, Herman. Keyboard Cat is warming up...

[mwb970]

17. My brain just shifted from Cain to a pile of dog crap. /nt

[14thColony]

18. That might have been plausible except for the second part of the sentence

"...and they want to develop more aircraft carriers like we have." China has embarked on a well-publicised program to build fleet carriers "like we have." So far as I am aware, the tiny North Korean navy has never even fantasized about such a thing. So it tends to indicate he meant China in both parts of the sentence.

Of course since China has yet to develop its FIRST aircraft carrier "like we have", they will need to do that before they can develop more of them.

So in fact there's nothing right in that whole sentence, whether the subject is North Korea OR China!

This guy is a hoot. I sure hope he gets the R nomination.

[Elsewheres Grandson]

14. Rethug = Moron

No matter the background or experience.

[ellisonz]

15. That's it. I'm switching my registration and running as a Republican.

A Lincoln Republican.;-)