Herman Cain is, among other things, a very charming and entertaining individual. But is he presidential? This is a question that has been on the minds of the nation’s top political analysts and commentators since Cain’s surprising rise to the top of the GOP polls. Recent comments made by the former Godfather’s CEO have appeared to raise some collective eyebrows, in particular his recent claim that he’s a “leader not a reader.” Filling in as host of Daily Rundown, WaPo columnnist Chris Cillizza noticed how, intentionally or not, it seems like Cain’s comment was a reference to The Simpsons.

A new Washington Post-ABC News poll has just been released, and the results are not particularly encouraging for former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin with regards to a potential bid in the 2012 presidential race. The poll suggests that that less than 6 off 10 “Republicans and GOP-leaning independents see Palin in a favorable light,” throwing cold water on any speculation that Palin is the presumptive GOP nominee (though there is certainly plenty of time for public opinion to change.)

Yesterday news broke that Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown had revealed to 60 Minutes‘ Lesley Stahl that he had been sexually abused as a young boy at summer camp. While the segment airs in full this coming Sunday, Brown was lauded by many inside the beltway for bravely sharing this dark secret. This morning’s version of Washington Post‘s political blog The Fix led with that news, but seemed to want to score some juvenile humor points with what some will surely see as a remarkably insensitive headline.

The Washington Post‘s Chris Cillizza is reporting that a memo sent to vendors on Tuesday says the Republican National Committee “is facing a ‘cashflow challenge’ and that many of those who provided political services to it during the 2010 election would not be paid this week as originally planned.”

RNC Chief Administrative Officer Boyd Rutherford is quoted as telling Derek Flowers, a member of the RNC’s political team by email “We will not be able to pay off the vendors this week.”

Apparently Chris Matthews is getting warmed up for next Tuesday’s live election coverage. Tonight while reflecting on the head-stomping incident at the Rand Paul event Matthews said that “this is the kind of stuff we saw from hoodlums in the thirties in another country I will not mention.” Three guesses history buffs!

If you’re like us, you’re probably sick of negative campaign ads with their booming voices, scary red text, and black and white faces frozen at the least attractive moment possible. Fortunately Colorado’s Democratic candidate for Governor, John Hickenlooper, is here to show us there’s an alternative. That alternative, it just so happens, is watching a middle-aged man take a shower. Don’t worry, it’s much better than it sounds.

This a photo of GQ Washington Correspondent Ana Marie Cox and top Obama advisor David Axelrod. Yes, Axelrod is important, but let’s focus for a moment on Cox, who has indelibly made a mark on the White House Correspondents Dinner in one crucial way: It was she who dubbed it “NerdProm.”

Lately Congress has started to feel a bit like a game of Ten Little Indians: who’s next. Yesterday’s announcement from Indiana senator Evan Bayh (D) that he would be retiring, amazingly caught just about everyone off guard. So who did he screw more, the Democrats or the Republicans? And is this actually a first step towards a White House run?

We’re back with Mediaite Office Hours today from our comfortable and spacious Livestream.com’s studio at 3pmET. Joining us today will be Rick Klein, Los Angeles Times‘ Matea Gold and more:

While the GOP lurches from here to there trying to settle on both an identity and a leader they can reasonably place their hopes (and cash) on for 2012 it looks like their most popular member may be toying with a whole other sort of going rogue: third party candidacy.

President Obama continues to make the off-the-record rounds with prominent member of the press. A little over two weeks ago he met with MSNBC anchors Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann among others. Today he met with a cross-section of journos including someone from Fox News, sort of.

Where were you a year ago today? If you are a political journalist — or media hanger-on — chances are you were living out of a suitcase at the 2008 Presidential Conventions, with the Dems nominating Barack Obama in Denver and the GOP nominating John McCain in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Remember those heady days?

WaPo executive editor Marcus Brauchli has put an end to Mouthpiece Theater, Post staffers Dana Milbank and Chris Cillizza‘s satirical web series, Howard Kurtz reported this afternoon. Brauchli was under pressure from groups such as Women, Action and the Media, that took offense at Milbank’s none-too-subtle allusion that, if Clinton were invited to the Beer Summit, she would have chosen to drink “Mad Bitch” beer.