Herman Cain Scandal: Gingrich Must Know Cain's 'Pain'

These are sad days for Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain, who has been accused of a 13-year extramarital affair and faced scandalous allegations of sexual misconduct by four other women, all within the span of a month.

Rivals Rick Perry and Mitt Romney, you would think, would feel for him. In fact, Cain has accused Perry's campaign of leaking earlier claims of sexual harassment to the media. Cain named a Perry consultant, Curt Anderson, who worked for Cain's 2004 Senate campaign, as the man behind his misfortune.

Predictably, Perry denied the allegations and said, in turn, that Cain should look to Romney and his campaign as the source; Perry, apparently, didn't even know of the affair before the Politico dropped the bombshell with their exclusive.

All in all, there is perhaps little reason to be surprised at seeing the candidates try to cash in on the misfortunes of an opponent.

However, should not Newt Gingrich be a little more circumspect about telling Cain what to do, especially on the subject of marital infidelity? Apparently Gingrich doesn't think so. Gingrich responded to the fresh allegations against Cain, on tonight's John King USA, by claiming that the infidelity charges against Cain were indeed relevant issues.

Specifically, when asked the question, Gingrich's reply was: It is something that Mr. Cain will have to settle with the country and talk to the country about. It is sad to see that level of pain brought out, but I think he'll have to deal with it.

The big question now, of course, is if the issues against Cain are relevant, how would that work out for Gingrich, whose own marital indiscretions have been providing steady fodder for his Christian conservative critics. The answer - it could be that Cain's infidelity will end up overshadowing Gingrich's or the whole issue will, once more, move to the forefront.

Gingrich could point to the fact that unlike Cain, his three marriages were never a secret; a statement unlikely to satisfy his critics.

There's no question at times of my life, partially driven by how passionately I felt about this country, that I worked far too hard and that things happened in my life that were not appropriate, Gingrich said in March addressing the infidelity issue.

When I did things that were wrong, I wasn't trapped in situation ethics, Gingrich told CBN's David Brody, I was doing things that were wrong, and yet, I was doing them.

I have two wonderful daughters and two great sons-in-law. Callista and I have a great marriage. I think that I've learned an immense amount, he continued.

However, there is no forgetting the fact that the events leading to his great marriage, to House staffer Callista Bisek, began as an extramarital affair while he was married to second wife Marianne Ginther. It gets even better - his marriage to Ginther was the result of cheating on his first wife, Jackie Battley. At several points in his life, while he was managing a wife and a girlfriend, Gingrich was nothing more than what Cain is now.

Forget about all this political stuff, Gingrich said about his personal life in March. As a person, I've had the opportunity to have a wonderful life, to find myself now, truly enjoying the depths of my life in ways that I never dreamed it was possible to have a life that was that nice.

So, if Cain could come forward with a similar argument that he had had a wonderful life with Ginger White, while cheating on his wife Gloria Cain, should the public forgive him?