Another one bites the dust as Cain throws in the hat

American's who are looking for a serious candidate to challenge Barack Obama next year must be getting rather worried as another Republican contender after a series of gaffes falls on his sword.

Former Pizza man Herman Cain who has been dogged by allegations of sexual malpractice and was caught out badly after being uncertain as to President policy towards Libya has decided to take a break.

Mr Cain says the Telegraph, was by turns defiant and emotional as he announced his decision.
"I am proof that a common man could lead this nation," he said, his lip trembling "I consider myself to be one of you, not one of the political elites."

In case you have lost count of exactly who is left in this contest.most analysts at the moment have former Congressional leader and scourge of Bill Clinton Newt Gingrich as being the favourite,although his past sexual indiscretions may well come back to haunt him before the campaign gets under way for real after Xmas.

Still in the race is that safe pair of hands,Mitt Romney who appears to be the candidate that nobody wants but who has a clean track record,apart from the fact that he is a Mormon.

With Texas governor Rick Perry dead in the water after his own contributions to gaffe gate,it appears that when the Iowa caucuses get underway in January it is going to be straight fight between Romney and Gingrich who has in recent weeks come from nowhere.

Another gaffe for Perry

Foot in mouth Rick Perry continues to talk his way out of the chance of standing as Republican candidate in next year's American Presidential elections.

Having previously threatened to invade Mexico he now told an audience in New Hampshire that "actually the reason that we fought the revolution in the 16th century was to get away from that kind of onerous crown if you will".

Purveyors of the historical record will note that the Texan governor was a couple of centuries out with his dates for the American war of Independence.

By all accounts coming out of across the Atlantic,former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is now clearly the front runner whilst Perry has lost second place in the polls to a former chief executive of a pizza chain,Herman Cain

Christie drops out-Does that leave the door open for Romney

Procrastinating politicians has been keeping a watchful eye on the Republican nominee race across the pond.

The news overnight is that New Jersey Governor,Chris Christie has decided he won't be running leaving the door wide open for former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is what appears to be a straight fight with foot in the mouth candidate Rick Perry.

According to the Wall Street Journal

Mr. Christie's announcement dashed the hopes of a small legion of donors, pundits and leading figures in the Republican Party who had argued that the governor, known as a blunt-talking spending hawk, would draw in moderate voters and push the GOP fiscal agenda in Washington. Some of those backers said they feared the existing candidates hadn't shown they have wide enough appeal to beat President Barack Obama next year.

Recent days have seen Romney leap into an early lead with the consensus being that the more people hear Perry speak,the less they like him.

The weekend's gaffe over sending sending troops to Mexico certainly didn't help but whilst polls show that Romney could give Obama a fight next November,he has yet to win over part of the GOP elite and this article says

While Romney’s differences with the Tea Party are well known, the Christie clamor showed how some Republican elders want a candidate with economic credentials who can tap into the emotions of the electorate in a way the cool, buttoned-down Romney cannot.

Mitt Romney quits.

Perhaps not suprisingly Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has just announced that he is pulling out of the race for the nomination.
He made the announcement at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington and claimed that he was doing it for the good of the party.

Romney has to be commended for stepping back at this moment,he hopes of winning the nomination were effectively ended yesterday and the Republican party must now unite around the only candidate that can realistically challenge the Democratic contender.

As the New York Times points out,to continue Romney had a series of obstacles to overcome

not the least of which was trying to reconcile the moderate political views he espoused as the governor of Massachusetts, a liberal state, with the more conservative views he championed on the campaign

The question now arises,who will be John McCain's running mate,surely his bitter exchanges with Romney preculde that option.But what about Mick Huckerbee as a conservative contrast to McCain's liberalism?

Finally let reflect that his roller coaster ride has cost him $37m of his own money up to the end of 2007.