That new Herman Cain spot where his chief of staff is caught during his smoke break behind the loading dock talking about how amazing it is to be a part of Cain's campaign -- a campaign that is now leading in some national polls despite the obvious impediment of not knowing precisely what it's supposed to do now that it's become accidentally successful -- was, obviously, ripe for parody. And who better to parody the spot than Stephen Colbert, the man from whom the ad stole the phrase "I am America" for its outro backing track.
"He's not shooting himself in the foot," said Colbert, responding to the many critics who have panned the ad, declaring Cain to be "historically insane," "bizarre," and "a joke." "He's shooting himself in the lungs."
Colbert generously offered Cain several different ways to make that new ad even more edgy. But he wasn't as charitable about the campaign appropriating his slogan, especially given that Cain has twice cancelled on "The Colbert Report." So, he offered Cain one final opportunity to receive "the Colbert bump" -- and he challenged him to a "slow smile contest," to boot.
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