Herman Cain, the unlikely leader in the polls, got the night's first question. "Italy is on the brink of financial disaster," said Maria Bartiromo. "It is the world's seventh largest economy. As president, what will you do to make sure that their problems do not take down the U.S. Financial system?"
His answer was 176 words. None of those words were "Italy," "Europe," or "banks." Here's what we did get: "Just like a dollar must be a dollar when we wake up in the morning, just like 60 minutes is in an hour, a dollar must be a dollar." And: "This administration has done nothing but put stuff in the caboose, and it's not moving this economy." These lines sound slightly garbled, as if Cain was struggling to answer an unexpected question. In fact, they're both lines that Cain has used many times before, in response to questions that had nothing to do with Italy or Europe.