Circular Firing Squad Forms Over Who Leaked the Cain Story

Cain supporters are trying to hunt down the dirty rotten scoundrel who leaked the story that Herman Cain was accused of sexually harassing two women at the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s. That a third woman has said she was harassed, and the (conservative talk radio host!) boss of two more says Cain made "inappropriate" comments, does not matter. The source who squealed to Politico must be found. "If it's a Republican competitor that could be dangerous," Gretchen Carlson warned on Fox News. Now Cain's rival Republican candidates are taking turns saying, "Not it!"

Cain accused Rick Perry's campaign of leaking the story in an interview with Richard Miniter Wednesday. He said he told Curt Anderson, a consultant on his failed Senate race, about the allegations in 2003. Anderson went to work for Perry last week, therefore, in Cain's mind, he's guilty. But Anderson says he never heard the story. Perry's spokesman Ray Sullivan told National Journal's Rebecca Kaplan it wasn't them, but maybe it was Mitt Romney's campaign! "I wouldn't put it past them," Sullivan told her. Romney's campaign told Kaplan's colleague Sarah Boxer, "No way." So, who wants to own up? Bachmann? Gingrich?