No One Looks Good in 'Seedy' Cain Scandal

It’s kind of fitting that Sharon Bialek delivered her risqué account of her sexual encounter with Herman Cain at New York’s Friars Club. After all, the Club touts itself as a "ribald comedy" destination, and ribaldry is exactly what we got, writes Dana Milbank of the Washington Post. Bialek’s tale "instantly succeeded in giving a pubic-hair-on-Coke-can seediness to the 2012 campaign. And nobody came out looking particularly good."

To be fair, Bialek herself seemed genuine—more so, at least, than her scandal-chaser lawyer, Gloria Allred, who dropped such groaners as, "Mr. Cain decided to provide her with his idea of a stimulus package." And Bialek’s story could indeed damage the candidate. "Now Cain is the one who wants a job," Milbank quips. He has already faced questions about his skills and organization, "but for now, unfortunately, the issue at hand is where Herman Cain’s hands have been." (More Herman Cain stories.)