Debate avoids Cain's harassment allegation

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- The two-man debate between GOP presidential candidates Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich started out last night with questions on health care spending and Social Security's future -- and completely bypassed the biggest political story of the week, the decade-old sexual harassment allegations that have dogged Cain's campaign.

Tea party organizers said that matter, which consumed the GOP race this past week, was off the table. It came as welcome news to Cain as he tries to refocus on policy issues.

"Long-term projections about what a government program is going to cost have never been right," Cain said, projecting confidence as he sat side-by-side with the former House speaker in high-back chairs.

"Name one," Cain challenged the audience with similar defiance he displayed all week as he fought to steady his political campaign.

A lawyer for one of Cain's accusers said Friday that his client had filed a complaint "in good faith" against Cain in the 1990s for "several instances of sexual harassment" and had received a financial settlement.

Attorney Joel Bennett suggested Cain wasn't telling the truth in his denials of the incidents that allegedly took place while the Georgia businessman headed the National Restaurant Association.

Cain has denied ever sexually harassing anyone, and his campaign said it was "looking to put this issue behind us." Gingrich seemed happy to oblige.

"We have to come up with solutions that are actually better," Gingrich told the room packed with conservatives.

He likened the approach to Wal-Mart and said it was up to Republicans to come up with a similar trustworthy brand during opening exchanges of the debate, a $200-per-ticket event.

The other candidates vying for the GOP nomination were invited; only Cain and Gingrich accepted the invitation.