(Image source : International Business Times)

BY NOE GANDILLOT

ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA

Rick Perry last week. Now, Herman Cain.To a basic question about Libya asked by a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter, Cain stumbled. Badly.

Cain : "Ok, Libya... President Obama... supported the uprising. Correct? President Obama called for the removal of Gaddafi. Just want to make sure we're talking about the same thing before I say 'yes I agreed or no I didn't agree'

The video immediately went viral, forcing Cain’s staff to quickly react. A spokesperson attributed the stumble to Mr Cain being tired, saying he had only had four ho­­­urs of sleep. The presidential candidate himself dismissed any weakness whatsoever. Here’s CNN:

Cain : “Nothing happened, I mean, He asked me a question about Libya and I paused, so I could gather my thoughts. You know, it’s very complimentary when people start documenting my pauses. You know, it’s one thing to document every word...”

Apart from Cain, most observers agree the stumble is a political blunder -- one Cain couldn’t afford. CBS News political director John Dickerson says Cain’s popularity has dropped 11 points since last month:

“There was a new poll out by CNN today that shows these sexual harassment claims have been weighing on him (...) He’s now the most unfavourably seen Republican candidate among the general population. So it’s kind of one-two punch he’s had, those numbers dropping and also this video hits on its biggest weakness, which is people worry about his ability to be commander in chief.”

Nevertheless, Herman Cain has still some supporters. A new poll carried out by Bloomberg News before the new stumble shows Cain ahead in Iowa at 20 percent-- a four-way top tier tie. As Bloomberg suggests, the race is lacking “exciting choices”. Increasingly tough, Cain is under fire. The New York Times notes:

“Some analysts have grown sharply critical of Mr. Cain’s foreign policy pronouncements in debates and interviews, saying he shows a basic lack of understanding of critical regions of the world. (...) His comments about Libya came after a string of other provocative remarks about foreign policy and related issues.”

So could this new gaffe knock Cain out the race?

Professor of international politics at Tufts University Daniel Drezner says this blunder is one too many for Cain, and he doesn’t want to hear about the former pizza mogul anymore. He posted on his blog Foreign Policy :

“There’s a mercy rule in Little League, and I’m applying it here — unless and until Herman Cain surges back in the polls again, or manages to muster something approaching cogency in his foreign policy statements, there’s no point in blogging about him anymore (...) I can only pick on an ignoramus so many times before it feels sadistic.”

Herman Cain and Rick Perry’s blunders could prove beneficial to other Republican candidates Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.