Herman Cain Meets Muslim IRL, Has Huge Change of Heart

Former restaurant executive Herman Cain has had a change of heart about Islam after meeting with a group of Muslims from the ADAMS Center mosque in Northern Virginia. Much to his surprise, they did not Sharia him:

"He seemed genuinely surprised," Robert Marro, a trustee at the ADAMS Center mosque in Northern Virginia told TPM. "It was almost like he was saying, 'I should've known better.'"

What caused the presidential candidate most recently associated with raising the specter of Sharia to change his tune? Marrow said Cain was struck by connection between American Muslims of today and Cain's fellow African Americans from the past.

Marro said the staff talked about the recent tragedy in Oslo, Norway, which many reflexively blamed on Muslims before the facts of the attacks came out.

The story touched Cain's childhood memories, Marro said.

"He said, 'when I was growing up, they always said it was some renegade black person who did wrong,'" Marro recalled. "One of the things that he said a number of times: there's a great deal of common ground between us."

After the ADAMS Center meeting, Cain released a statement saying, "I remain humble and contrite for any statements I have made that might have caused offense to Muslim Americans and their friends…I am truly sorry for any comments that may have betrayed any commitment to the U.S. Constitution and the freedom of religion guaranteed by it."

Good for Cain! He is a better human being now. It's almost like he's a different person than the one who said he would not allow a Muslim to work in his cabinet, later said that maybe he would hire a Muslim if that Muslim took a special loyalty oath, and then contested the construction of a mosque in Murfeesboro, Tennessee, arguing 

"It is an infringement and an abuse of our freedom of religion," [Cain] said. "And I don't agree with what's happening, because this isn't an innocent mosque."

"It is another example of why I believe in American laws and American courts," Cain said. "This is just another way to try to gradually sneak Shariah law into our laws, and I absolutely object to that."

But I don't think contrition helps Cain's presidential bid anymore than being an unrestrained bigot was going to help his bid. It's clear that he knows a lot about frozen pizzas, and not a whole lot about much else.