As Herman Cain prepares for tonight's eleventy-seventh GOP debate, he's doubtless relishing the news that, according to a new poll,he's become Iowa Republicans' favorite candidate. Yet, with the Hermanator's surge comes increased scrutiny. Take, for example,this piece, which digsinto his work at Godfather's Pizza. To those who question whether Cain deserves much credit for his company's dramatic turnaround, he says,Theres more between these ears than pepperoni and pizza sauce. People who say I was just going out and giving the speeches and smiling, they have no idea how I manage and lead."Certainly true. But for those of us who have read This Is Herman Cain! by Herman Cain, there can be no doubt about the abiding power of those speeches.

And what I say [on the campaign trail] must be striking a chord, because I invariably get a standing ovation. In fact, if I don't get one, I'm sure I didn't give a good speech. Actually, there was one time that I didn't get a standing ovation and I thought, "It's because I didn't give a good speech." Well, I had--I was told it was a great speech--but the reason I didn't receive a standing ovation was that I was speaking at an accountants' convention. They're trained to be unemotional, so they sat there and just applauded. [This Is Herman Cain! by Herman Cain, p. 152, italics his]