The feud between GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain and GOP pundit/strategist Karl Rove continues to escalate.
Speaking on the phone Monday afternoon, Cain hit back at Rove’s earlier accusations that he had peaked as a candidate and accused the former Bush adviser of deliberately attempting to damage his campaign.
“It’s a good thing the voters are not looking at Karl Rove’s little whiteboard,” Cain said, referring to the list Rove held up on a small whiteboard during his earlier appearance on Fox News. “I believe it is a deliberate attempt to damage me because I am not, quote unquote, the establishment choice. But why not go with the choice that the people seem to like?”
Cain argued that Rove was only weakening him for the general election and accused him of favoritism, saying “I believe he wants Romney to get [the nomination].”
Earlier on Monday, Rove expressed that a recent series of “misstatements” by Cain creates “an image of him not being up to” the task of the presidency.
Cain isn’t the first Republican candidate Rove has disparaged. In the past, he has attacked Rick Perry and Sarah Palin.
Responding to Cain’s accusations, Rove strongly denied the charges. “Herman Cain is the one giving the Democrats material for attack ads,” Rove said, according to the Examiner. “I want the strongest nominee to emerge from the process. I have no personal favorite. Fox expects me to call balls and strikes as I see them.”
Rove allowed that candidates are “entitled to a few mulligans,” before concluding “but [Cain’s] running out of them. And he should not expect everybody to be cheerleading every mistake he makes.”
Watch the video of Rove’s original accusations below.
