Herman Cain’s Strange Answer

Herman Cain declined to sign a pro-life pledge and his reason for doing so is bizarre:

Businessman and 2012 Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain reaffirmed his pro-life views in a statement today, one day after he declined to sign the pro-life pledge sponsored by the Susan B. Anthony List that other presidential candidates signed.

“I support right-to-life issues unequivocally and I adamantly support the first three aspects of the Susan B. Anthony pledge involving appointing pro-life judges, choosing pro-life cabinet members, and ending taxpayer-funded abortions,” Cain said in a statement. “However, the fourth requirement demands that I ‘advance’ the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. As president, I would sign it, but Congress must advance the legislation.”

Advance is one of those English words with multiple meanings, one of which is:

to bring into consideration or notice; suggest; propose: to advance reasons for a tax cut.

This was the sense in which other Presidential candidates doubtlessly understood the pledge, not that the Susan B. Anthony List expected them to act in the legislative capacity.  Presidents do that all the time.

Do groups who send out pledges need to also include definitions for each word in the pledge, or only when sending them to Mr. Cain?

Read more at Adam’s Blog