Nashua, New Hampshire (CNN) - Days after the release of a video showing GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain stumbling over a foreign policy question while meeting with a Milwaukee newspaper editorial board, Cain again found himself at the center of controversy - this time with a New Hampshire newspaper.
Both Cain and the influential New Hampshire Union Leader pointed fingers at each other Thursday after Cain did not attend a scheduled meeting with the paper's publisher and other journalists.
The editor of the paper's editorial page, Drew Cline, tweeted that the Cain campaign had canceled the meeting. Reached by phone, Cline said Cain's campaign informed them "at the last minute" they could only give the paper 20 minutes of time, instead of the planned one-hour meeting.
The paper said it would not accept the shortened time, Cline said.
"We were waiting for them to get back to us about whether we could get the full hour," Cline said, but the campaign did not respond.
Speaking to the media after a rally in Nashua, Cain said the Union Leader was at fault.
"You're not going to believe it - they canceled," he said. "They canceled."
Cain spokesman J.D. Gordon said the paper had canceled the interview by phone Thursday morning.
"The newspaper cancelled with one of our advance staff at approximately 9:00 am today," he said in an e-mail. "We are looking to reschedule the next time we visit New Hampshire."
Gordon said negotiations over the length and format of the interview had been ongoing since Monday, and said the paper had requested a 45-minute taped interview.
Cline said there had been confusion Thursday morning after a secretary at the paper mistakenly told the campaign the interview was canceled.
Cain said the secretary had misspoken and should have said the paper had canceled plans for C-SPAN to videotape the meeting.
"We thought we had cleared that up and that it was still on," he said.
It was reported earlier this week that Cain's campaign had said it would not allow C-SPAN to attend. When asked Thursday why he did not want the meeting to be taped, Cain told reporters: "because it's optional."
The Union Leader is a powerful newspaper in New Hampshire and aims to hold interviews with all presidential candidates. The paper's editorial page endorsement is closely watched in presidential politics.
Cain blundered at a taped meeting with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board earlier this week when asked for his views on how President Barack Obama handled the Libyan uprising, and Cain seemed to struggle to answer.
Cain poked fun at the media at his rally Thursday for timing the length of his pauses in the taped interview.
"I think before I speak," he said. "I know that's a novel idea."
From CNN Politics
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Sounds like the Palin campaign. Confusion, controversy, then completely forgotten for the rest of time.
Maybe they want to interview someone really interesting, like Huntsman, someone who has actually travelled to other parts of the world and can spell and pronounce the names of the countries.
Don't you just love how the liberally biased mainstream media are not reporting the destruction, lewdness and general drug caused lunacy of the Flea Party. Obama and the unions who are sponsoring the Flea Party must have told CNN and the other liberally biased media outlets not to mention the destruction of private and public property, the filth, the deaths and the horrors these Obamaniacs are creating for people who actually work and pay taxes. SEIU/ACORN and George Soros do not let the media they control say anything bad. You have to go to FOX to get the real story.
Poor Hermie..... just can't keep all his lies straight.
The media has become a media of mass-destruction...lets boycott.....!
Cowards are known to do that sort of thing you know!
Cain keeps making it clear that he doesn't have a clue. I think every political person who took Class 101 knows it is probably wise to get along with the media.
C'mon Herman. I think we know the difference between someone who is stopping to give a measured answer and someone who is stopping because he can't even remember Libya's importance or our actions there. "I've got all of this stuff twirling around in my head..."
Idiot. Nuf said.
Herman Koch misspoke. He should have said: "I think Pizza before I smoke." That's a novel idea.
Cain reminds me of Ricky Bobby when he got into his first NASCAR crash and then refused to drive
from the article:
"I think before I speak," he said. "I know that's a novel idea."
----------------
We have already figured that out, Mr. Cain. You obviously seem to make it all up as you go along. You like to lick your lips too much.
PLEASE I pray that he just get out of the race.
"I think before I speak," he said. "I know that's a novel idea."
Yeah, but only if you come up something relatively coherent after your pause.
Herman Cain just wants to sell some more books so media please leave him alone
Herman Cain has no Business even running for President. The man Know Pizza and that It.
I can't believe that he wants to become the leader of the free world. He cannot even schedule an appointment.
Someone from his staff, other than Mark Block who would mess that up too, needs to wake poor Herman up and tell him to go home.
Cain: "I missed the meeting because I was too busy NOT harassing women."
The press in this country seem to continue make themselves more irrelevant each day.
But the Jethros will still support this simpleton.....amazing!
That's his biggest problem–thinking before he speaks!
Never have I seen such a terrible candidate; how he got this far escapes me. And never have I seen such a terrible line-up of candidates. It is historic. And it is sickening. At this point their desperation is palpable. From free falling poll numbers to lobbying connections, to out-right stupidity to cruel hearted -ness and magical promises, the only real hope for a choice would be Huntsman and/or Paul.
you meant that you blank out after a question, which you obviously don't have an answer. just say you don't know instead of looking rediculous
"I think before I speak" lol. Yet look at what still manages to fall out of his mouth every time he speaks. Can you imagine the utter absurdity he'd speak if he didn't actually think before he spoke? These GOP candidates are even funnier now that I've realized that even they aren't taking themselves very seriously.