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National political operation. the only candidates who the republican party has been able to field to compete with mitt romney for the nomination this year are these guys. the seven dwarfs. i'm sorry, no offense to dwarfs. i shouldn't say that. but i mean, look. really? huntsman, santorum, ron paul, michele bachmann, newt gingrich, that's buddy roamer, and in case don't recognize him i think that's gary johnson. yeah, that's gary johnson. this is it. and if this is the best the republican party has to offer america in 2011, then the great question of herman cain's candidacy becomes really impor...

I mean, the old days of that kind of happening where you kind of pushed some guy or gal up front and said it's your turn has really kind of been turned on its head. so there's very little that you can do to keep someone out of the race who really wants to get in. the filing fee that, you know, you make the filing fee, you're on the ballot. so then it's a matter of getting the percentages at the national level to be in the debates and the like. but the parties don't have that kind of control anymore. >> do you think it is substantively important that herman cain never bothered to build a tradit...

Previously said he didn't remember any of the details, started talking about some of the other details. then they tried to bring other candidates into it. yesterday herman cain's campaign manager, the smoking guy, he said that rick perry, rick perry, owed herman cain an apology because it was rick perry's campaign that was behind the leak in the first place. well, today after mounting that great stand on that political hill, smoking guy backed down from that allegation that he had leveled against the rick perry campaign just yesterday. only to have the candidate himself, herman cain, reassert ...

>> i love herman. is he the best? i mean, i get -- i have fun with him. he is a great, interesting guy. and thank you, herman, for helping pay for the event tonight. >> it's amazing. it gets better and better. joining us now is the former chairman of the republican party, michael steele. he is now an msnbc contributor. mr. steele, it's great to see you again. >> good to see you. >> for all the things that parties do not do well, one thing that parties do is they vet candidates. they keep people out of the running who are going to embarrass themselves and the party if they get too far. right? i...

Difficult to do. i mean, the old days of that kind of happening where you kind of pushed some guy or gal up front and said it's your turn has really kind of been turned on its head. so there's very little that you can do to keep someone out of the race who really wants to get in. the filing fee that, you know, you make the filing fee, you're on the ballot. so then it's a matter of getting the percentages at the national level to be in the debates and the like. but the parties don't have that kind of control anymore. >> do you think it is substantively important that herman cain never bothered ...