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BY ERICA COGHILL

24 hours and a few different versions of the story later... the Cain Train’s been rocked.
Some decade-old sexual harassment allegations against the Republican presidential contender have the media trying to get the story straight...

After Politico broke the story Sunday night -- Cain went into full denial.

“I have never sexually harassed anyone, anyone, and absolutely, these are false accusations.”

According to Politico -- two women who worked with Cain when he headed the National Restaurant Association in the 90s had accused the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO of sexual harassment.

After the initial denial -- reports surfaced the two women took 5-figure settlements in exchange for their silence.  And Cain seemed to remember a little more as the day progressed.

Monday afternoon - he told the National Press Club he was -quote- “unaware of any settlement.”
But later Monday, Cain told PBS...

“I was aware that an agreement was reached. The word ‘settlement’ versus the word ‘agreement,’ you know, I’m not sure what they called it. I know that there was some sort of agreement.”

MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell admits she’s having trouble keeping up with Cain’s shifting story...

“Now he acknowledges that he does remember, but he didn’t think it was sexual harassment, he didn’t think there was a legal settlement, he thought it was just a payment, he did tell his wife back then, but he hadn’t remembered it… I mean, I’m kind of losing track myself.”

But even before the allegations surfaced -- Cain enjoyed front runner status on the campaign trail.

So will this be a set back? Politico’s Anna Palmer tells CBS -- to be determined.

“I think that is unclear, I don’t think that this is, you know, it is necessarily over for Herman Cain by any stretch, I mean, he is a candidate unlike anything we’ve ever seen. He was singing amazing grace on Monday, he had a press conference, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that in all of my time of reporting politics, so I definitely think he is going to continue to fight the good fight so if he finds his sweet spot of being able to answer this and answer it credibly, time will only tell whether he’ll be able to move forward.”

But here’s the thing: Conservative commentators like Rush Limbaugh have labelled the allegations an attack by the so-called liberal media. And Time’s Joe Klein says -- that’s exactly why Cain could very well emerge unscathed.

“The notion of black man as sexual predator is a particularly toxic stereotype — and it may intensify the self-righteous satisfaction some Republicans are getting from supporting a conservative black man for President. As in: those liberals pretend to be pro-black, but every time a Clarence Thomas or Herman Cain comes down the pike, they throw sex at him.”

The New York Times reports - Cain’s wife Gloria, will accompany him for an interview on Fox Friday night.