Charles Krauthammer to Herman Cain: The defense of your contradictory statements ‘sounds Clintonian’

(By Jeff Poor, The Daily Caller) - Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain’s attempt to contain damage from the revelation that he was accused of sexual harassment by two female subordinates in the 1990s has left a lot to be desired, according to some pundits.

On Tuesday’s broadcast of Fox News Channel’s “Special Report,” during the “Center Seat” segment, Cain attempted to clarify inconsistent statements about when he learned there was a financial settlement between the National Restaurant Association and the women.

“When I first heard the word ‘settlement,’ I thought legal settlement,” Cain said. “My recollection later is that there was an agreement. So, I made assumption about the word ‘settlement’ that was legal. I didn’t think there was a legal settlement, but an agreement. Remember, this happened 12 years ago.”

But that explanation didn’t settle the issue for Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer, who observed that Cain’s explanation sounded “Clintonian.”

“Both in the morning and on the Greta show you used the word ‘settlement.’ Many people will say the candidacy is so attractive you aren’t a politician and you aren’t a guy who dances around, you shoot it straight,” Krauthammer said. “And when you make a distinction between settlement and agreement, it sounds like you – it sounds Clintonian.”