He delivers

WASHINGTON-For most voters, the least known candidate at South Carolina's GOP presidential debate Thursday night was Herman Cain. The former CEO of Godfather's Pizza has a slim, slim chance of winning his party's nomination but nevertheless delivered a delicious performance for Republicans hungry for a viable candidate.

That a former pizza magnate is on the menu of GOP candidates for president shows how wide-open the field is at the moment. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty was the most prominent candidate who appeared at the debate-others like former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney stayed away. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson filled out the stage in Greenville, S.C. Among the four other candidates, Pawlenty appeared the most presidential and winsome, while Paul won huge cheers for his unique positions, like immediately removing troops from Afghanistan and legalizing heroin. The odd array of candidates made one think: The presidential race hasn't really started yet, has it?

Cain, who also was once chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and until recently hosted a radio talk show in Atlanta, won cheers and applause throughout the evening, despite being unknown, delivering pithy answers that belied his total lack of experience in politics. He touted his experience as a businessman in a field of former senators and governors. When the FOX News moderators asked about his lack of political experience, he said the public would elect "the person who projects the greatest amount of leadership strength. I'm proud of the fact quite frankly that I haven't held office before." As for people with Washington experience, he asked, "How's that working for you?" drawing big laughs. "We have a mess," Cain continued. "How about sending a problem-solver to the White House?"

The moderators asked Cain if, in light of the killing of Osama bin Laden, President Obama was unbeatable. "President Obama is not unbeatable because one right decision does not a great president make," he said, adding that unemployment is still high and gas prices are going up.

A week earlier, Cain traveled to Washington to convince conservative kingmakers and journalists that he was a viable candidate. At a lunch at Americans for Tax Reform, reporters asked him about his position on every topic-evidence that they had no idea who this man was. He explained first off that he was Republican: "No, I am not a Democrat just because I'm black."

Cain supports the "fair tax," a flat-rate sales tax that would replace federal income and payroll taxes. "If the public understands it, they will support it and demand it," he said at last week's lunch. As for entitlement reforms, Cain supports House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan's proposals: "We're not going to be able to stop the growth and spending by trimming around the edges." He said he would change the mission of the Federal Reserve, so it focuses solely on controlling inflation, not unemployment. Any unfunded mandates on states, Cain said he would "unravel." He said the president's responses in Libya and Syria showed "inconsistency. . . . We need a real clear national security strategy." On social issues, he believes "life begins at conception." And he said Obama wasn't upholding his oath of office for ordering the Justice Department to cease defending the Defense of Marriage Act in court: "To me that is asking the Justice Department to not uphold the law."

In the 2008 presidential election, Cain backed Romney. "I'm running now instead of supporting Romney because he did not win," he said at Thursday's debate, drawing laughter. "So I'm going to try this time."