Via Think Progress, this is just sad:
BRODY: Are you ready for the ‘gotcha’ questions that are coming from the media and others on foreign policy? Like, who’s the president of Uzbekistan?…
CAIN: I’m ready for the ‘gotcha’ questions and they’re already starting to come. And when they ask me who is the president of Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan I’m going to say, you know, I don’t know. Do you know?
And then I’m going to say how’s that going to create one job? [...]
Knowing who is the head of some of these small insignificant states around the world — I don’t think that is something that is critical to focusing on national security and getting this economy going. When I get ready to go visit that country, I’ll know who it is. But until then, I want to focus on the big issues that we need to solve.
Of course, as Ali Gharib points out:
With U.S.-Pakistan tensions on the rise, the Obama administration is in discussions with Uzbekistan about increasing military supply routes to the U.S.-led Afghanistan war through the former-Soviet republic, whose authoritarian president — Islam Karimov — has some human rights issues.
So, in other words, Uzbekistan isn't just a "small insignificant state." And it is "critical to focusing on national security." But hey, since Herman Cain doesn't even know the name of the country (or he thinks it's charming to pretend he doesn't know), it must not matter.
But that aside, is Herman Cain actually proud that he has no idea what he's talking about? It sure seems like it. In Republican world, any country on the map that isn't labeled U.S. fuckin' A. is "insignificant." Until we try to invade it and steal its resources, that is.
But you just go ahead and insist that the things you don't know about obviously don't matter, Mr. Pizza Man. Because for the voters you're trying to woo, being a total ignoramus isn't a problem; it's an asset.