Economist Who Helped Cain Craft 9-9-9 Plan Backs Away From Sales Tax

(By Judson Berger, FoxNews.com) - One of the key economists who helped presidential candidate Herman Cain draft his 9-9-9 tax plan is backing away from the most controversial component of it, warning that the criticism Cain endured at Tuesday night's Republican presidential debate shows his proposed 9 percent national sales tax might have to go.

"It was such a dart board," economist Stephen Moore said Wednesday of the proposal.

Cain weathered a storm of complaints over his tax plan at the Republican debate in Las Vegas. Virtually every candidate took turns accusing the businessman of pushing a scheme that would introduce new streams of revenue and hit the middle class hardest.