White House hopefuls pitch GOP insiders in Iowa

By PHILIP ELLIOTT and THOMAS BEAUMONT
Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Herman Cain's presidential rivals focused Friday on anything but the decade-old sexual harassment allegations dogging the Georgia businessman's campaign.

No one, it seemed, was eager to weigh in on Cain and the furor that has consumed the race for the GOP nomination over the past week. Five of Cain's opponents were in Iowa to court Republicans at a GOP dinner in the state that holds the race's leadoff caucuses in just two months.

Ahead of that forum, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Cain should "slow down, take a deep breath."

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But Gingrich said the tough questions and intense scrutiny comes with a presidential campaign.

"This is a very hard business - and it should be," Gingrich told CNN. "This is the presidency of the United States. If you can't get through the campaign, you sure can't govern."

Earlier in the day, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum outlined his social agenda during a morning speech to supporters and later visited a gun show. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas scheduled an afternoon town hall. Texas Gov. Rick Perry, too, visited the state ahead of the dinner.

As the day began, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, also campaigning in Iowa, told NBC's "Today" show "you won't find any surprises with me" but otherwise refused to talk publicly about the allegations against the Georgia businessman. She focused, instead, on talking about the economy and taxes.

Back in Washington, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney delivered a speech about cutting spending in an appearance before Americans for Prosperity, a conservative group aligned with the tea party. He made no mention of Cain even though he spoke just minutes before the Georgia businessman took the stage.

Neither Romney nor Cain was attending the Iowa dinner, though both are competing in the state.

As the controversy entered its fifth day, none of Cain's rivals rushed to criticize or defend him against allegations of sexual harassment made in the 1990s by at least two women who worked with him when he was head of the National Restaurant Association. Two reportedly received financial settlements.

However, earlier in the week, a Santorum adviser suggested the public didn't know all the facts, and Cain should allow the trade group to release his accusers from confidentiality agreements. And Gingrich decried media coverage of the allegations and said Cain's tax plans deserve more attention.

Over the past five days, Cain has repeatedly denied wrongdoing even as he gave conflicting accounts about what - if anything - he knew about the alleged incidents as well as whether he knew about the financial settlements.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)