Bachmann suggests recent Cain statements raise questions

Touting her own membership on the House Intelligence Committee, Michele Bachmann says rival Herman Cain has made some “shocking” statements on foreign policy issues.  Cain recently said if he were asked to name the president of Uzbekistan, he wouldn’t know the man’s name — because knowing the answer wouldn’t create jobs in the United States.  This past Tuesday, Cain said he “misspoke” when talking about negotiating with terrorists over the release of hostages.

“I think people were especially shocked just this last week when, just two hours before the last debate in Las Vegas, Mr. Cain had gone on a show with Wolf Blitzer and said that he would be open to negotiating all of the prisoners that are in Guantanamo Bay in exchange for a United States hostage and I think that was shocking when people heard that, and then during the course of the debate he reiterated a similar statement, that he would be willing to engage in that kind of a negotiation,” Bachmann said today.  “Certainly we would never do anything like that.  That’s not our history in the United States….One thing that I know without a shadow of a doubt, as president of the United States I wouldn’t even consider negotiating those who are prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, to release them in exchange for an American hostage. That’s just something we would never do.  That would only courage further hostage taking.”

Bachmann made her comments during an interview this afternoon with Radio Iowa.  She also brought up Cain’s recent interview on CNN in which he made what have been characterized as confusing statements about his views on abortion.

“Clearly the words out of his mouth indicated that he was in favor of a pro-abortion position, so I think there’s a lot of questions that people have (about Cain),” Bachmann said.  “I’m 100 percent prolife.”

Both Bachmann and Cain are among the candidates who will speak tomorrow night in Des Moines at a forum hosted by the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition.